A private developer in Nakuru town suffered a blow after the county government brought down his five-storey building worth millions of shillings.
The building located in Naka Estate was found to be structurally unsound by the National Construction Authority (NCA) which condemned it two weeks ago.
Nakuru County Executive Committee Member for Lands and Housing Joseph Kiuna said the developer has been playing cat and mouse games with the authorities for two years.
"We approached the developer to take measures that will ensure the structure is safe before continuing to construct it. For two years he has been defiant and unavailable when called upon," said Kiuna.
Some of the pillars on the ground floor supporting five other floors had buckled up.
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The contractor had however put in place steel reinforcement covered in a concrete slab which the government engineers disapproved.
During its demolition, the excavator operator removed one of the steel pillars and another concrete pillar before the building came crumbling down.
"Very slight touches had the entire building collapse yet it was in a residential area. It was a ticking time bomb and we are lucky to save lives that would have otherwise be lost if it collapsed on them," said Kiuna.
Kiuna said that the defects on the building had been attributed to use of poor quality construction materials.
He said that the developer was now being sought to cater for the demolition costs while the engineers and architects involved would be pursued through their respective professional bodies.
kgachuhi@standardmedia.co.ke
