EBK applauds Mombasa Governor Nassir for action on building standards compliance

The Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) has commended Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir for his swift and firm action in addressing building standards compliance within the county.

In a statement released on Saturday, EBK CEO by Eng. Margaret Ogai acknowledged the Governor’s prompt response to professional recommendations made by the Board in February 2025.

The engagement aimed to reinforce building safety through adherence to engineering standards.

The board highlighted the outcome of these efforts — the release of the task force report titled ‘Why The Building Collapsed – And What We’re Doing About It’ on May 30, 2025.

The report was established following the collapse of an 11-storey building in the Kilifi Corner area. According to EBK, the report details what went wrong and identifies those responsible.

The board reiterated its commitment to ongoing collaboration with county governments and developers, emphasizing key requirements such as: Review of designs and drawings exclusively by licensed, accredited engineers; Integration of County and EBK systems to authenticate professional credentials in real time; and Maintenance of on-site documentation, including statutory approvals and site supervision records signed by EBK-licensed engineers.

EBK thanked Governor Nassir for his leadership and reaffirmed its support for efforts aimed at enhancing construction safety across the country.

This comes after a probe into the collapse and demolition of an 11-storey building in Mombasa in April uncovered widespread regulatory failures, including credential renting by licensed engineers and architects, and inadequate inspection by county officers and National Construction Authority (NCA) officials.

These were identified as key factors behind the building’s partial collapse and its subsequent controlled demolition by the Kenya Defence Forces.

A multi-agency task force established by Governor Nassir, investigating the incident that claimed one life, found fundamental design flaws, a lack of essential site investigations, such as the absence of a geological report, and poor professional supervision that affected the structural integrity of the building.

The task force further revealed that the project approval process was compromised by conflicts of interest, with county staff reviewing projects submitted by their colleagues.

There was also a lack of standard checklists, peer reviews, and discrepancies between county records and National Construction Authority data.

Beyond the architects and engineers, culpability extended to the building developer, contractors lacking technical capacity, unlicensed operators, and a county officer who facilitated procedural shortcuts and regulatory bypasses.