200 families evacuated from a condemned five storey building in Thindigua, Kiambu county
At least 200 families have been safely evacuated from a condemned five-storey building after it developed huge cracks posing imminent danger to the occupants in Thindigua, Kiambu county.
A multi-agency team comprising of Kiambu county officials and a multi-sectoral team on building constructions alongside the developer ordered tenants to vacate the house with immediate effect.
The building which is on the verge of caving in and collapsing has three blocks of 40 units fully occupied.
There have been numerous cases of buildings collapsing in Kiambu County causing deaths and injuries amid claims of collusion between the owners and corrupt county officials.
In February this year, members the Kiambu County Assembly committee on Lands, Housing, Physical Planning, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Committee engaged in counter-accusations of alleged bribery and extortion that culminated to spirited push to ouster the committee chairperson Ruth Waithera.
According to a petition signed by ten out of the sixteen committee members, they filed a vote of no confidence against their chair who also doubles as the Githiga Member of the County Assembly.
The notice against Waithera highlighted four allegations ranging alleged irregular negotiation with private developers “meant for extortion” in Juja and Kiambaa sub-counties without knowledge of the committee, negotiation for foreign trip with the National Construction Authority to the United States of America and creating disunity within the committee thus affecting proper functioning.
According to locals, the building in Thindigua had been in existence for the last ten years but started developing cracks on the walls which exposed the weakness of the structure.
The County Executive Committee Member, Department of Lands, Housing and Physical planning Salome Muthoni Wainaina said they received a call in the morning about a sinking building in the Estate where she involved a multi sectoral team so that they can establish the cause.
“We have reached a decision, in conjunction with the developer and the other security teams that are here that all the tenants should vacate the houses today.” Muthoni said.
A copy of the notice of no confidence against the MCA dubbed “Notice of vote of no confidence in the chairperson’ in our possession dated February 22, 2023 was received by the office of the Deputy Speaker John Njue Njiru on February 23, 2023.
They recommended Waithera be relieved her duties as the committee chairperson and be completely removed as the committee chairperson.
They want the vice chairperson Moses Ngatha Wambiri to succeed her as the chairperson while David Mwaura takes over the vice chairperson’s role.
“The Standing Order 194 (1) A and B of the Kiambu County Assembly gives members of any particular committee to express a vote of no confidence with its chairperson or vice-chairperson. It is on this spirit we wish to express our vote of no confidence in this particular committee Lands, Housing, (Physical Planning, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Committee Members) one Hon. Ruth Waithera (elected member for Githiga Ward).” The notice reads in part.
At the time, contacted for comment, the embattled committee chairperson did not respond to phone calls by The Informer Media Group.
“We recommend the following: 1. The chairperson of the committee Hon. Ruth waithera to be relieved of her duties as the chairperson and be removed from the committee as a member. 2. The vice chairperson of the committee Hon. Moses Ngatha Wambiri to occupy the post of the chairperson. 3. The vice chairperson post to be occupied by the Hon. David Mwaura (elected Member Ndenderu ward. The undersigned members below confirm and agree entirely with the above raised concerns and recommendations.” The notice adds.
They claim that unscrupulous developers have been colluding with rogue county officials and MCA’s including alleged committee members to facilitate construction of buildings without requisite approvals.
In February this year, during the grand opening of a new primary school at the General Service Unit (GSU) Camp in Kiambu county, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindili directed the immediate involvement of spy agency, National Intelligence Service (NIS) in crackdown against rogue contractors and developers in the country.
Kindiki concurred that the government will take action against contractors and developers whose houses are found to be faulty noting that the state will deploy proactive measures to avert a possible crisis in the construction sector.
“We will not allow our people to die or to be hurt for the government to move in here and start crying with the citizenry. For this reason, we have declared a war on contractors and builders who are defying government procedures in the construction industry by putting up buildings illegally and in a manner that is posing danger to people and dwellers therein,” CS Kindiki affirmed.
Cases of condemned building under construction and others occupied have in the past claimed lives notably in Kiambu and Nairobi.
Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja and his Kiambu counterpart Paul Kimani Wamatangi have been on record warning that full force of the law will be taken against the culprits.
