Kirinyaga County Government launches probe on cause of collapse of building that killed a woman

County Government of Kirinyaga has launched investigations to establish what caused the collapse of a four-storey building that killed a 40 year-old woman at Karia village, Kirinyaga Central.

Deputy Governor David Githanda who together with the members of the County Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee visited the scene, said the county had deployed structural engineers to the site to inspect the structure so as to establish the cause of the collapse.

He said the incident occurred when the building under construction fell on the deceased’s house. The two houses bordered each other.

Githanda said the probe would also involve establishing whether the owner of the building had been issued with all the necessary approvals.

“We have commenced investigations and our engineers will be able to tell us what caused the collapse of the building. It is unfortunate that we have lost one person,” said Githanda.

Neighbours said the house came down early Wednesday when the deceased, identified as Lydia Wawira Mugo, was asleep with her two children.

One of the floors of the building hit the bedroom in which the woman was sleeping killing her on the spot. The two kids who were rescued by the neighbours unhurt were sleeping in a separate room from that of their mother.

While conveying message of condolences from Governor Anne Waiguru to the family of the deceased, Githanda termed the death as regrettable and promised County Government’s support.

Experts says that such a probe normally involves taking samples of the strength of concrete, the size of the steel used and a geotech engineering firm would do borings underneath the building’s foundation areas to establish the condition of the soil.

County Police Commander Andrew Naibei said a manhunt for owner of the building is underway.

“We have not been able to get hold of the owner of the building but our officers are on the ground tracking their whereabouts,” he added.

He said once the structural engineers give out their report, police will make a decision on whether to prefer charges against the owner of the building if there was violation of laws.