City Hall, NCA still to act on rogue builders

The collapse of  a building in Nairobi’s Huruma  has  put the City Council and the National Construction Authority (NCA) in the spotlight with regard to the implementation of the recommendations following an audit report ordered by President Uhuru Kenyatta early last year.

President Kenyatta  ordered the audit after a building collapsed in the same area.

Although the Nyakiongora Report 2015 was presented to the government in November last year,  its recommendations are yet to be implemented by the two bodies.

The audit, carried out by a team chaired by Mr Moses Nyakiongora of the lands ministry, reported that, of the 2,035 buildings inspected,  only 64 per cent had the required structural standards while the rest required “further scientific investigations with a view to strengthening them and those that cannot be strengthened to be immediately demolished.”

It covered most parts of Eastlands, Dagoretti, Kasarani, Zimmerman, Roysambu, Githurai 44 and 45, Garden Estate, Thome, and Kilimani.

EVACUATION OF RESIDENTS

Among its recommendations were “the evacuation of residents from buildings which have shown structural failures and are classified as dangerous even before structural tests are performed.”

It also recommended that all buildings to be connected to sewer lines, and that all structures encroaching on road reserves and drainage wayleaves be removed.

Notably, the report categorised Huruma as a high-risk area due to “its observable poor settlement and development framework, which has led to high deterioration of safety standards in the area.”

Nairobi governor Dr Evans Kidero, for example, blames the legal system for frustrating the county’s efforts to stop rogue developers. “This is not a case of apportioning blame. When we set up a task force and identified buildings that were substandard, the developers with title deeds ran to court and got injunctions,” says Dr Kidero.

He adds that ethnic politics makes the demolition of  such structures difficult since county officers are often attacked by cartels deployed to protect the buildings. “We can take action only after the titles have been revoked by the National Land Commission since the county does not give land titles,” Dr Kidero says.

The National Construction Authority (NCA) chair, Mr Stephen Oundo, cites similar challenges. “The approval  for a building is the mandate of the county council. All we do is check whether the contractor and workers are registered and whether the building has county approval. If these are lacking, we stop the work. However, we don’t prosecute,” he said.

Mr Oundo says that demolishing a building is not a cheap. “A building similar to the one that collapsed would cost between Sh8million and Sh10 million to demolish with the help of a specialised contractor to oversee the process, meaning it needs a lot of planning,” he said, adding that the NCA does not inspect finished buildings.

“When the construction of a building is completed, we have no power to access it for assessment. We only come in when it is under construction,” he explains.

Mr Oundo has called on the government to give the authority the  powers to prosecute rogue developers.

“If we have punitive measures, then we can stop this trend but as it is, there is still a lot that still needs to be done.”

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A LOOK AT STRUCTURES THAT COLLAPSED IN THE RECENT PAST

1. April 28, 2016: A wall collapses along Nairobi’s Lenana Road, killing three people

2. March 9, 2016: A four-storey building in Zimmerman, Nairobi, whose construction had been questioned two years earlier, collapses; fortunately, it had been vacated.

3. May 11, 2015: The perimeter wall of a mosque in South B collapses due to heavy rain, killing 10 people

4. April 2, 2015: Seven people are killed and others trapped under a building that collapses behind the Thika Road Mall in Roysambu.

5. January 4, 2015: Five people are killed and several others injured when a six-storey residential building collapses in Huruma estate.

6. December 17, 2014: A five-storey residential building that was still under construction but partly occupied collapses in Kaloleni, Nairobi, killing seven.

7. June 9, 2012: Three people are killed when a building under construction collapses in Mlolongo.

8. September 17, 2011: Four people are killed when a three-storey building collapses during heavy rainfall in Mabona  around  Lwanda Trading Centre in Emuhaya, Vihiga County.

9. June 14, 2011: Two workers are killed when a six-storey building under construction collapses in Nairobi,

10. January 10, 2010: A building in Kiambu town collapses due to heavy rain, killing three people.

11. January 2006: a five-storey building under construction on Ronald Ngala Street collapses, killing 14 people and injuring 14 others.

The Nyakiongora Report 2015

The causes of the collapse of the four buildings in Makongeni, Huruma, Roysambu and Ongata Rongai were analysed and the results were as follows:

• The foundations of the buildings were not up to standard. The walls below the ground (substructure) were lying on hardcore instead of reinforced concrete strip-footings, meaning that the technical specifications were not adhered to.

• The concrete was of poor quality as evidenced from the mix and low grade obtained. Specifications for a good mix of concrete were not followed.

• While the reinforcement bars were of good quality, the spacing and amount of reinforcement were inadequate, and the bond with concrete was very weak.

• The masonry stones failed to meet the specifications for multi-storey buildings. They were too thin and of low compressive strength.

• The services of qualified technical personnel in the construction industry who could have detected early warning were not sought as required.