County to demolish collapsed Uthiru building

The Uthiru apartment that collapsed on Tuesday night is set to be demolished.

Nairobi disaster management director Bram Simiyu said on Wednesday the county will demolish the five-storey apartment along Naivasha Road.

During a morning meeting on the issue, it was decided that responsibility would not fall on the building owner.

“Initially, priority was given to the owner to demolish the building. However, it was later decided that Nairobi City County would be responsible for the demolition of the collapsed structure,” the report reads in part.

Once demolition is complete, samples will be collected and examined to determine the cause of the collapse.

The samples will be taken to a laboratory for analysis.

County leadership noted that the building had received approvals but could not determine compliance at that time.

The Planning Director stated that they would follow up to ensure that the approved plans and structure were met.

The collapsed apartment has since been handed over to Nairobi City County technicians and engineers, Nairobi Building Inspectorate (NBI) and National Building Authority (NCA) for further investigation and action.

Earlier in the day, the Kenya Defense Forces Disaster Response Battalion (KDF/DRB) unit searched with a human detection dog and confirmed that no lives were trapped in the collapsed building.

The technical staff declared the building unsafe and it was decided that no one would enter the building to retrieve their belongings.

The building housed 34 residents and all were rescued and reported safe.

The meeting was attended by Nairobi City County Planning and Disaster Departments, National Construction Authority (NCA), National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and KDF/DRB.

Other agencies present were the National Police Service (NPS), National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) and the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).