The Agony of Huruma Residents Affected in Collapsed Building

The death toll following the collapse of a six-storey building in Huruma Estate in Nairobi has hit 28 by the time of going to the press. 80 people are still missing, 139 were rescued and evacuated to safety while scores others were left nursing injuries. Rescue operations are still ongoing with the help of the army, National Youth Service and the Red Cross.

The tragedy in Huruma has exposed how poorly prepared both the National and the County Government of Nairobi are in terms of disaster management. The building came down on Friday last week and the operation has been going on at a snail pace further diminishing the hopes of getting more souls alive. One of the reason why the operation has been futile is the fact that the area is heavily populated with tin-roofed structures all over, making it difficult for machines to move and hence the rely on one machine only.

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The Pathetic Condition of Buildings in Huruma Estate

Huruma Estate in Nairobi is one of the areas that is heavily populated by both the middle class and the lower class. This is because the area is considered affordable in terms of housing and rent. Private developers have taken this rush for cheap rental houses to erect substandard buildings that are build hastily and with no professionalism attached like that that came down of Friday. According to the rescue mission, the building that collapsed had no single metal within its walls apart from the roof slaps on every flow and that the foundation was week given the fact that it was built on the bank of a river. Other tall buildings in the area pose the same danger as they do not meet the standards and the requirements as stated in the law.

Regulation

The law governing buildings states that any building that is more than six storey must have lift. A simple study on Mlango Kubwa Estate, along Juja Road on the way to Huruma reveals a grave ignorance of this rule. The area has some numerous tall buildings with no single lift on them. The questions are:

• Who approved the buildings?
• Which contractor went ahead to build a seven storey building for instance without following the due process?

Forgetting too soon

Someone said that Kenyans are good at perfecting the art of forgetting. When a tragedy occurs, we react, curse, and threaten to take action but forget as soon as the days go by and wait for another tragedy to occur. Owners of the ill-fated Huruma building were arrested and released on bail. Money is what speaks. They will be in and out of the courts and soon the whole issue will be water under the bridge.

Article by Juma Fred.