An accomplished welder met his death after efforts to salvage his tools from a collapsing building in Embakasi, Nairobi bore no fruit.
Unfortunately, Justus Mutisya got trapped inside the store on the ground floor and efforts to save him were unsuccessful.
A post-mortem conducted at the Kenyatta University Teaching Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) revealed that he was crushed to death by a concrete beam and also lacked oxygen in the room filled with cement and other construction materials.
His brother, John Mwendwa told a local media station that the news surprised them because Mutisya was an expertise in the construction field and especially in the welding sector.
“He began wielding in 2007 and has never been involved in any incident. It is very sad that this one incident has snatched him away from us,” he said.
Residents said that the building was being constructed hurriedly.
Embakasi sub county police commander, Masai Mutua confirmed that only one person died and that the matter was being investigated.
He questioned on why businesses were being run in the unfinished building.
“The landlord needed a certificate of completion first before allowing any business operations or even tenants to occupy the building. We are looking for the business owners to record their statements,” he said.
The county fire department alongside experts from the construction and planning section are overseeing the demolition of the building.
“It is only after the completion of the demolition that the experts in the construction sector will collect samples and use them to establish the probable cause of this disaster,” Mutua said.
Following the incident, the administrative officer said that there were plans to begin inspection of several buildings under construction by a multi-agency team from the county government to ensure safety of tenants.
