EXPERTS DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER FATAL SOUTH C BUILDING COLLAPSE.
BY NJOKI KARANJA
January 8, 2026.
Industry experts in Kenya’s built environment have issued a sharp rebuke to authorities and construction professionals following the collapse of a building in South C that claimed the lives of two security guards, calling the tragedy a clear failure of enforcement, professionalism, and governance.
Speaking during a joint press briefing, the stakeholders described the incident as “entirely preventable” and warned that it reflects a deeper, long-standing crisis in the country’s construction sector. According to the experts, only about 15 percent of buildings nationwide are currently considered structurally safe, a statistic they say should alarm policymakers and the public alike.
“This is not an accident—it is the outcome of ignored standards, compromised approvals, and a culture of impunity,” the group stated.
A Systemic Safety Crisis
The South C collapse has once again put the spotlight on widespread non-compliance with building regulations. The experts cited failures at multiple levels of the construction chain, from design and supervision to approval and inspection.
They warned that professional negligence often goes unpunished, allowing unsafe practices to persist. Engineers, architects, contractors, and site supervisors who fail in their duties, they said, must be held individually and collectively accountable.
Key Failures Identified
Among the most critical concerns raised were:
Weak professional oversight, where designers and supervisors fail to enforce safety standards on site.
Regulatory loopholes and lack of transparency in planning approvals and inspections, enabling unsafe developments to proceed.
Use of counterfeit and substandard construction materials, which severely compromises structural integrity.
Political interference and poor governance, which have allowed unqualified “quack” practitioners to operate with impunity.
“Failure to enforce responsibility only feeds the culture of impunity,” the experts said, calling for the deregistration, prosecution, and sanctioning of all individuals found culpable.
A History of Unanswered Tragedies
The stakeholders also highlighted a troubling historical pattern. Since 1996, more than 200 building collapses have been recorded across the country, yet findings from investigations are rarely made public.
“This silence has crippled learning and reform,” the group noted, urging authorities to release past investigative reports so that lessons from previous disasters can be applied to current and future projects.
Call for Proactive Enforcement
To restore public confidence, the experts called for a fundamental shift in how the construction industry is regulated—from reactive responses after disasters to proactive enforcement of safety standards throughout the project lifecycle.
They stressed that every professional involved in a building project must be legally and ethically accountable for its outcome.
“Lives are being lost because enforcement is optional and accountability is selective,” the statement concluded. “That must end.”
