Pressure is mounting on the Nairobi County Assembly to order urgent investigations into the structural safety of buildings in the Nairobi Central Business District following reports of cracks and crumbling walls in several structures.
The concerns come amid ongoing heavy rains that have triggered flooding across parts of Nairobi, including in the basements of multiple buildings.
Kiamaiko Ward MCA Joseph Ndung’u has raised alarm over what he described as visible signs of structural weakness in several buildings, including one located at the intersection of Mfangano Street and Sheikh Karume Street.
“The cracks raise serious concerns about the structural integrity of the building and the safety of people operating within and around it,” Ndung’u said.
He is now calling on the County Assembly’s Sectoral Committee on Lands, Planning and Housing to investigate whether authorities are aware of the defects and if the affected buildings have valid approvals.
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The MCA is also seeking clarity on the status of key compliance documents, including Certificates of Occupation and inspection records, as well as measures being taken to prevent similar risks across the city.
His demands come against a backdrop of increasing incidents of building collapses in the capital.
In January, professional bodies include the Institution of Engineers of Kenya, the Architects Alliance, and the Kenya Institute of Planners warned that up to 85% of buildings in Nairobi could be unsafe for occupation.
The warning followed a series of fatal incidents, including the collapse of a 16-storey building in South C on January 2 and another in Karen on January 10.
Experts cautioned that even minor tremors lasting between 20 and 30 seconds could trigger widespread structural failures across the city.
Since then, Nairobi has experienced multiple building-related incidents that have left at least seven people dead and dozens injured.
On March 18, a worker was killed after a 22-storey building under construction in Westlands partially collapsed during a concrete pour. Just days ealier, four people died while scavenging materials from a condemned structure in Shauri Moyo.
The incidents followed another collapse on Kirinyaga Road on February 11 that injured six workers.
