Gov't orders demolition of 'unsafe' Kahawa West building after tenants evacuated

The National Construction Authority (NCA) has evacuated tenants of a residential building in Kahawa West and cordoned it off after it was flagged over structural concerns.

The Authority’s Executive Director Maurice Akech, in a statement on Thursday, said that all tenants in the four-storey building located at Kware vacated under the supervision of security officers.

“Following a public alert on an unsafe building on Plot L.R. No 71/11/3 in Kware, Kahawa West, Roysambu Sub-county, Nairobi County, a quick intervention by the National Construction Authority and multi-sectoral agencies led to the issuance of an enforcement notice by the Nairobi City County Government,” stated Mr. Akech.

“Evacuation immediately ensued supported by the National Police Service and the National Government Administration Officers. “

NCA has since directed the owner of the apartment identified as Mary Wangui to demolish it, failure to which the government would take action against her.

The Authority said the structure, built more than 10 years ago, comprises 20 one-bedroom units and has an additional penthouse used as a storage space.

NCA explained that the building was flagged for failure in key load-bearing areas where the ground floor wall and front left corner column exhibit structural failure, with visible cracks compromising the building's stability.

The building is also said to have cracks on structural elements on the first-floor beams and ground-floor walls.

Furthermore, the apartment has significant dampness on the balconies of the first floor, which the Authority says indicates water infiltration issues that could weaken the building structure over time.

NCA on Wednesday marked the building unsafe after the public raised safety concerns across social media platforms.