A supervisor in charge of the ill-fated Kasarani building twice disregarded warnings from authorities to stop its construction on Tuesday, it has now emerged.
Two women who were helping with the building's construction told the Nation that they noticed cracks on the ground floor walls on Tuesday morning.
Rescue workers at the site of the collapsed building in Kasarani on November 15, 2022.
Photo credit: Mercy Chelangat | Nation Media Group
Another construction worker who spoke to the Nation said City Hall officers arrived at the site on Tuesday morning for inspection.
An aerial view of the site of the collapsed building in Kasarani on November 15, 2022.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
However, the building's supervisor reportedly asked the workers to ignore the warning and proceed with construction.
Witnesses also said officers from the National Construction Authority also attempted to stop the construction on Tuesday morning but were chased away.
The site of the collapsed building in Kasarani on November 15, 2022.
Photo credit: Tobias Wangila | Nation Media Group
Rescue efforts for victims officially began on Tuesday evening, coming hours after a seven-storey building that was under construction collapsed in Kasarani, Nairobi.
Seven storey building collapses in Kasarani
The number of people trapped under the rubble is still unclear, but locals at the site said around eight or nine people were near the building when it came down on Tuesday.
The site of the collapsed building in Kasarani on November 15, 2022. The diagonal lines show where stair cases were.
Photo credit: Mercy Chelangat | Nation Media Group
Several people, mostly construction workers, are feared trapped in the rubble.
The site of the collapsed building in Kasarani on November 15, 2022.
Photo credit: Tobias Wangila | Nation Media Group
Rescue workers could be seen Tuesday night as they tried to locate the victims. Excavators are also on site to help with moving heavy concrete.
The site of the collapsed building in Kasarani on November 15, 2022.
Photo credit: Tobias Wangila | Nation Media Group
Police control a crowd that had gathered around a building that collapsed in Kasarani on November 15, 2022.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
Ronald Karauri, the MP for Kasarani, arrived on site following news of the building collapse.
