- A building under construction near Karen Community Church collapsed on Saturday, January 10, killing two people
- Grief-stricken families went to the Nairobi Funeral Home on Sunday, January 11, to identify the bodies
- Sheila Mwashi, the widow of one of the deceased men, Harrison Ngala, tearfully recalled their last phone call just hours before he died
A cloud of grief hangs over two families in Nairobi following the tragic death of their loved ones, who died under the rubble of a building that collapsed in Karen.
Source: Youtube
The building, which was still under construction, was situated near Karen Community Church along Ngong Road. It caved in on Saturday, January 10.
The incident left two people dead, while several others were taken to Kenyatta National Hospital with injuries.
On Sunday, January 11, families of the deceased, identified as Harrison Ngala and Tuju Mwandakwa, visited the Nairobi Funeral Home to identify their bodies.
What did Harrison Ngala tell wife hours before he died?
Ngala’s wife, Sheila Mwashi, could not hold back her tears after identifying the body of her 32-year-old husband.
She said her husband was a casual construction worker at the site, simply trying to earn a living for his family when tragedy struck.
Mwashi recalled that their last conversation was a phone call during the day, when Ngala promised to send her money for household expenses.
“We spoke during the day on the phone. He told me he was sending me lunch money, which he did, and he promised to send more later on. I waited for so long. By 8pm he hadn’t called or come home. I started to worry,” the widow said.
The 32-year-old man’s family tearfully pleaded with the government to look into the matter and ensure justice for the deceased men.
Ngala’s sister, Winnie Kavugali, said young people trying to make ends meet were losing their lives because of preventable failures.
“We have put money first even when our youth are dying. It’s not right. Many young men are losing their lives at construction sites and no one seems to investigate, follow through, or give them justice,” she said.
Winnie added that her beloved brother had gone out to provide for his family, and it was heartbreaking that he died in the process.
Source: Twitter
What happened before Karen building collapsed?
One of the survivors of the tragedy, Johnstone Owia, speaking from his hospital bed, narrated what transpired moments before the building caved in.
He said his survival was nothing short of a miracle.
“We heard a loud sound from up there and didn’t know it was coming from our building. Seconds before we could even check what was happening, the building came down and we were trapped inside the debris,” he said.
What caused the collapse of the house in Karen?
In related news, TUKO.co.ke reported that the Nairobi county government revealed what caused the building under construction to collapse.
The County Executive Committee Member (CEC) for Built Environment and Urban Planning, Patrick Mbogo, stated that preliminary investigations revealed the house collapsed due to poor workmanship and the use of substandard materials.
Mbogo stated that inappropriate timber supports were used instead of steel props during construction, compromising the structure.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
