- Family and leaders who attended the burial regretted the incident and urged the county to arrest the owners of the building.
- He said the Kirigiti building collapse mirrors the ills in the county administration and strict action should be taken against offenders.
Image: Amos Njau
A somber mood engulfed residents of Kamunyu village, Gatundu South, on Wednesday during the burial of a woman and her two children who died after a building collapsed in Kiambu town last week.
Mary Wanjiru and her two sons Carrick Mwania and Tyler Karanu died following the collapse of a five-storey building in Kirigiti, Kiambu subcounty, a week ago.
Among those who attended the funeral were Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, Ann Wamuratha (Woman Rep), Gabriel Kagombe (Gatundu South MP) and MCAs Kigara Joe Githui(Ngenda), Kungu Smart (Kiamwangi) and Julius Kahura(Kiganjo).
Family and leaders who attended the burial regretted the incident and urged the county to arrest the owners of the building.
Wamatangi said that his administration will do everything to ensure law and order are adhered to.
“Unfortunately, we are attending the burial of Mary, Carrick and Tyler and we have paid too high a price because of negligence and laxity in this important construction sector," Wamatangi said.
He said the county has initiated an elaborate plan to audit the construction projects and flag down substandard ones.
Wamatangi further congratulated members of the public and the operation rescue team of the Kiambu County Fire and Disaster Management Department, Kenya Police, Kenya Defense Forces, Kenya Red Cross and volunteers.
Wamuratha urged the family to be strong and promised that the county will stand with them.
Senator Karungo Thangw’a has petitioned the county to use the emergency budget to compensate the families affected by the incident.
The senator said that the construction industry has been marred with unscrupulous dealings that are compromising on the quality of buildings.
He said that the previous administration is to blame for the issuance of approval letters to crook without proper supervision.
“The county should compensate the victims and tell us who authorised the construction of the building,” Thangw'a said.
He said the Kirigiti building collapse mirrors the ills in the county administration and strict action should be taken against offenders.
Thangw'a said more than 70 per cent of all incidents of collapsed buildings in the country were occasioned by poor workmanship and supervision.
Kung’u urged the county administration to bring the rogue contractor to book.
“I would urge Wamatangi to ensure that the justice is served to the families of those affected in Kirigiti and those responsible arrested,” Kung’u said.
He said that the county assembly will push bills that will require proper approval of the building by the relevant authority.
He said that they will introduce a hefty fine to anyone caught doing construction without relevant approvals from the county.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)