Six bodies have been retrieved from a four-story building that collapsed at Sunstar Hotel in Gatanga, Murang’a County.
A search for more is ongoing.
The building was under construction when it collapsed on Friday prompting a rescue mission.
Roads and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said one person died in hospital while being attended to bringing to six the number of deaths from the Friday accident.
Five other bodies had been removed from the scene. Three people are however, yet to be accounted for, police said.
Macharia said they expect the operations to be completed by the end of business on Sunday.
“We will not want to have a recurrence of this kind of incident because it negates all the good work which has been done.”
“Developers must be clear that they are doing investment in a safe environment,” Macharia said.
He said a building adjacent to the collapsed hotel was also under construction but has been condemned and will be demolished.
“Greed should not be the determining factor that you want to build very quickly so that you can start getting returns. Safety of the people who are constructing the building and the people who will use it once it is completed is key.” he said.
The CS said authorities are searching for all personnel involved in construction of the building.
They will face various charges in court.
“The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has already started the process of hunting down all the professionals concerned both at the National government and at the county level,” said Macharia.
The CS also revealed 4,000 buildings have been marked as unsafe and further urged the National Buildings Inspectorate to fast-track their inspection.
The area is among areas experiencing a construction boom with many buildings having more than 10 floors.
There have been concerns of structures being constructed without proper supervision.
