DPP drops case against three over building mishap

Kisumu

The owner of a building that collapsed in Kisumu early this year and two municipal building inspectors will no longer stand trial in connection with the incident, a court ruled on Thursday.

Instead, the three will be witnesses, Kisumu chief magistrate Lucy Gitari ruled following an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions to drop the charges against them.

Consequently, charges were withdrawn against Mr Vinod Kumar, who is the owner of the five-storey building, Mr Samuel Otieno and Mr Lawrence Bifwoli, Kisumu municipality building inspectors.

Mr Ravinder Brar will be the only suspect to defend the role he played in the building whose collapse claimed seven lives and injured at least 30 people on January 16.

Mr Brar is allegedly linked to the contractor who was overseeing the construction of the building and who is said to be at large. The magistrate ordered that Sh2 million each of the three had deposited as bond be returned to them.

The case against Mr Brar starts on July 18.