Nearly 1,600 buildings have been inspected in Nairobi by the Buildings Inspectorate and out of that figure, close to 800 buildings were considered defective as a result of poor safety standards in Kenya’s construction industry.
Moses Nyakiongora, the secretary of the recently established Buildings Inspectorate at the Land, Housing and Urban Planning ministry, said that about 48% of the buildings are okay, but the other 52% needed attention.
“The 52% are not all condemned. Some of them will need strengthening, some will need to improve on ventilation, water provision, and light provision to make them habitable,” he explained.
The Buildings Inspectorate was established because of the many buildings that are collapsing in the country, resulting in injuries and fatalities. The exercise will also be conducted in other towns.
Recently 30 workers were trapped in a shopping mall in Kisumu after a weak column failed on a two-storey building. Since last year, more than 10 people have lost their lives after buildings collapsed.
