200 more buildings might collapse in Nairobi
Kenya’s construction experts are sounding the alarm over the alarming frequency of building collapses in the country, pointing out that the lessons learned from previous disasters have yet to be put into action.
In a united front, leaders from over ten professional organizations—including engineers, architects, planners, quantity surveyors, project managers, surveyors, and valuers—are calling for a comprehensive review of the construction industry after a multi-storey building under construction in South C came crashing down.
The statement, delivered by Shammah Kiteme, the president of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya, highlighted that more than 200 buildings have collapsed in Kenya since 1996. It also cautioned that a culture of impunity has turned these failures into a tragic norm for the nation.
“The South C collapse was preventable and highlights deep-rooted systemic failures across planning, approvals, construction, supervision, and enforcement,” Kiteme said.
“Each life lost represents a collective failure that must weigh heavily on our conscience.”
The associations recognized that it’s the professionals who must take responsibility when it comes to issues like design, supervision, certification, or ethical standards being compromised.
They pointed out that building collapses typically don’t stem from just one mistake; rather, they result from a series of interconnected failures.
The professionals emphasized that developers linked to these collapses should provide compensation to the families of victims and that all their other projects should be audited right away.
County governments also faced criticism. They called for counties to appoint fully empowered Chief Architects, Engineers, Planners, Surveyors, and Valuers to ensure thorough inspections and quality control for all approved developments.
Among the suggested reforms are mandatory peer reviews at every stage of construction—from planning and design to execution—to guarantee independent safety checks, along with the establishment of a national planning information system that connects all counties and makes details of approved projects publicly available.
Maureen Mbithi Ochang, President of the Project Management Institute Kenya (PMIK), stated that the collapse highlighted significant weaknesses in project coordination and oversight. She urged that conversations about accountability should be grounded in evidence and driven by factual findings.
“We support the work of investigative authorities and encourage that the outcomes of these inquiries be used to strengthen construction governance and enforcement mechanisms across the sector,” Ochang said.
The professional organizations have also urged for comprehensive investigations into the South C collapse, a public sharing of the findings, and solid reforms to ensure that similar tragedies don’t happen again in the future.
200 more buildings might collapse in Nairobi
