Page 6 - BEA December 2019 - January 2020

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BUILDINGS COLLAPSE: IT CAN BE STOPPED! 114 COMMUNICATIONS
KENBANCO HSE, 2ND FLOOR,
nd the carnage continues. Just when you feel lessons have HARAMBEE AVENUE
been learnt and mistakes of the past rectified, it turns out P.O. BOX 64118 00620, NAIROBI
Athat some live on, hidden in the cracks of some existing TEL. 0718 771196/ 0773 379 828
structures, or the weak foundations of others, waiting for the va- EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS
garies of mother nature to nudge them into tipping over, crushing info@buildingea.co.ke
occupants to avoidable early death.
Website: www.buildingea.co.ke

In yet another tragic incident, a residential apartment crashed to EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
the ground, in Tassia, Nairobi, killing several people and injuring Eric Obwogi
others.
EDITORIAL & PUBLISHING
The incident and death toll add to growing statistics of recurring CONSULTANTS
tragedies associated with the construction sector.
ONE14 Communications
Last year, in a record of sorts, three buildings collapsed within one
week. Two people were crushed to death when a four-storey build- DESIGNED BY
ing in Ruai on the outskirts of Nairobi collapsed during the heavy Andrew Mogire
rains that were pounding the area. Interestingly, the building had
initially been earmarked for demolition by the government as it SALES & MARKETING:
was built on a road reserve. KENYA OFFICE
Tony Marube
In the same week, a four-storey building in Kariobangi South and Jennifer Owuor
a five-storey building in Orion Estate-Juja crumbled. Other build- Kathy Wanza
ings that collapsed in the capital Nairobi include a four-storey
flat in Zimmerman and a seven-storey building in Kware Pipeline UGANDA OFFICE:
Estate. Titus Mukwana
The incidents prove that the gaps in the construction industry still Mercy Mulama
exist and need to be plugged urgently. A visit to the more populous
areas in Eastlands, Estates, along Thika Road, Kangemi, and TANZANIA OFFICE:
other low income areas will reveal the tragedies still housed in Anthony Thomas
existing structures. That the current rains haven’t caused more John Ochoro
havoc is a merciful miracle.
MEDIA MANAGER
Experts say that the weaknesses in the buildings mirror the gaps Mary Njagi
in the industry as a whole. Set rules are still being flouted, despite
efforts to clean up the sector.
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Ben Odongo
Construction on soils that cannot sustain the weight of buildings, Nancy Museka
use of sub standard materials including scrap metal instead of Lilian Barasa
steel to cut costs and generally ignoring the specifications for good CIRCULATION
mix concrete, coupled with poor workmanship guarantee buildings John Mugendi
with structural deficiencies and disasters – in – waiting.

City hall, NCA and Co. stand accused of not reigning in rogue DISCLAIMER
developers. It is time, perhaps building inspection services were The publisher regrets that they cannot
outsourced to qualified consulting engineers, with a recommenda- accept any liability for errors or
tion from Association of Consulting Engineers of Kenya (ACEK), omissions however caused. The opinions
thoroughly vetted for integrity issues and deployed to work in a in this publication are not necesarily
those of the publishers. Readers are
rejuvenated regulatory environment, to ensure that the structural advised to get specialized advise before
integrity of upcoming structures is assured. acting on any information contained
herein. No part of this publication may
To eliminate gaps, the NCA must put in place strict regulations be reproduced, stored in any retrival
such as increased frequency of inspections, training of artisans, system or transmitted without the prior
easing the building approval process by reducing costs and time, permission of the publisher in writing.
and ensuring they are adhered to, and demolishing all remaining Unsolicited manuscripts are submitted
substandard developments. at the sender's own risk.

4 Building East Africa | December/ January 2020
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Promoting sustainable development