Three killed as building collapses in Kenya’s capital

At least three people died when a building collapsed in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, authorities said.

Six other people were rescued from the rubble and are being treated at a nearby hospital in the Kasarani suburb.

The multi-storey residential building was under construction and had shown signs of weakness including visible cracks before it collapsed, witnesses told local media.

Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja said the owner of the building should be arrested and charged with murder because construction permits had not been issued.

Local media reported the owner is on the run.

Government officials had inspected the construction site and asked employees to leave earlier on Tuesday, one worker told the local Daily Nation newspaper, but the site foreman told the employees to continue, the newspaper reported.

Building collapses are common in Nairobi, where housing is in high demand and unscrupulous developers often bypass regulations.

After eight buildings collapsed and killed 15 people in Kenya in 2015, the presidency ordered an audit of all the country’s buildings to see if they were up to code.

The National Construction Authority found that 58% of buildings in Nairobi were unfit for habitation.