Three university students were among the five who perished in a building that collapsed Monday evening in Murang’a town.
Two students were pursuing various courses at Murang’a University, while the third was in their third year at Moi University.
One of the students, Emmanuel Asande, died a few minutes after being taken to Murang’a Level-5 Hospital.
Asande, undertaking his industrial attachment at the construction site, had worked in the building for the last two weeks.
A preliminary medical report indicated the second-year student died from injuries he sustained in his spinal cord.
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His colleague, Daniel Nkulet, a third-year procurement student, was working at the construction site as a casual worker.
Nkulet, who had deferred his studies for a semester, had worked in the building, which had reached the third storey before collapsing, for about four weeks.
Vice Chancellor of the Murang’a University of Technology, Professor Dickson Nyariki, termed the incident as unfortunate, saying it has claimed the lives of young people who were hardworking and who had bright futures.
“The information about the students was disturbing and has left the university fraternity in grief. I convey my condolences to the affected families and promise the university will play a role in burial preparations of the two,” he added.
The president of Murang’a University Students Organization (MUSO) Davis Kemboi, said they will organize an occasion to mourn the two students.
“We were shocked and emotionally affected by the death of our colleagues who were just trying to earn something to support their education. We send our condolences to the families of our two comrades,” said Kemboi.
The third student, Geoffrey Wachira, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology at Moi University, also met his death at the construction site where he was working as a casual labourer.
Those affected were on the ground floor of the building, which left five dead and four recuperating at Murang’a Level-5 hospital.
Rescue teams drawn from Kenya Defense Forces, County disaster, National Disaster Management Unit, and the Red Cross helped in the rescue mission, an exercise which ended on Tuesday evening.
On Tuesday, when he visited the scene, Principal Secretary for Public Works Joel Arumonyang said the government is working to put regulations in place to address gaps in the construction sector.
He decried the loss of lives witnessed through collapsing buildings, saying such tragedies can be avoided.
He added that they will engage the national assembly to pass the building control bill addressing gaps in the building sector.
“Inspection of buildings is going on and already we have covered 26 counties, and this exercise will continue to ensure people live in safe buildings,” he added.
The PS said that through the National Construction Authority (NCA) they will ensure vigilance and called on professionals to give their best in supervision.
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