Mukuru slum residents protest over poor building

A five storey building in Nairobi's Mukuru Slums. Area residents on September 19 demonstrated over its poor construction. PHOTO | SAMMY KIMATU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The residents claimed that the building was not approved by engineers from the Nairobi County government.

Irate residents at Nairobi’s AA area in Mukuru Kwa Njenga slum on Thursday protested over a poorly constructed five storey building in the area.

The residents claimed that the building's foundation stood on loose soil. 

The building had been earlier rented to Markways Educational Centre. The owner then decided to add two more storeys before turning it into a residential rental houses.

Area chairman Dominic Njuguna said the poor workmanship was exposed by an ongoing construction at an adjacent plot. 

The contactor realised that the five storey building stood on a poorly constructed foundation.

The residents claimed that the building was not approved by engineers from the Nairobi County government.

At the scene, workers were busy unaware of the risk the building posed to them. Neighbours said another building recently collapsed in the area killing at least five people.

Officials from the county government arrived and marked the building for demolition. The slum is currently crowded with mushrooming tall rental buildings due to the rising housing demand in the city.