Uproar as contractor of Nandi county collapsed building win Sh20 billion state housing deal
A local construction firm involved in a saga over the collapse of a building in Nandi county, which killed one person and injured six others, has won a Sh20billion government contract.
The company, Epco Builders Limited was contracted by the state to build 5,360 affordable housing units in Machakos county.
The Mavoko project, which will take four years to complete and spans 55 acres, is part of the Kenya Kwanza administration’s commitment to build 200,000 affordable houses for low and middle-income earners each year.
“The project is being undertaken by a local contractor who will ensure skill transfer through the use of local labor,” said Charles Hinga, Principal Secretary for Housing and Urban Development.
In 2019, the State Department of Vocational and Technical Training under the Ministry of Education had contracted Epco Builders Limited to build a multibillion-shilling structure at Kemeloi Polytechnic in Nandi county.
The building collapsed in May of the same year, and one victim, Edwin Lubaga, died while being rushed to Kapsabet Level Five Hospital for serious injuries he sustained after a beam supporting a building under construction broke.
Other people were injured and were rushed to the same hospital, where they were treated and discharged.
According to a police report, Daniel Kirwa, Kenneth Abisa, Collins, Charles Keter, Geoffrey Kibet, and Jackson Kizavuli were among those injured.
Following the incident, the company was required to file a statement with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in charge of Nandi Hills, where the incident occured.
Even after four years, it is unclear whether the company recorded a statement.
Directors of the company are Mayur Ramji Varsani with 10,000 shares and Varsani Ramji Devji who has 76,000 shares.
Epco is also constructing Tvet institutions across the country, with information on its website indicating the company as one of the most renowned building and civil engineering firms in the country, and is registered with the National Construction Authority in category NCA 1.
Additionally, the company has an annual turnover of more than Sh5billion and the capacity to handle projects worth up to Sh12 billion.
The company also owns a yard on Mombasa Road near Athi River where heavy equipment and batching plants are installed.
