Eastleigh building collapse: Confusion as contractor disowns project, points finger at brother

Questions are now emerging over the actual contractor behind the construction of the 18-storey building that collapsed in Eastleigh, Nairobi, eight days ago, with investigations pointing to the possible involvement of an unqualified contractor.

Sources close to the investigations have told Citizen TV that the project may have been undertaken by an individual who is not registered as a contractor.

The director of Stromax Holdings E.A. Limited, the company listed by the National Construction Authority (NCA) as the contractor, has since distanced himself from the construction.

In his statement to police, the director claimed his brother, who is not a registered contractor, asked to use the company’s details to secure NCA approvals.

He says he granted the request and even responded to official NCA emails, confirming that his company was undertaking the project, despite claiming he had no involvement in the construction.

But in a twist, the director’s brother has reportedly offered a different account, shifting responsibility back to Stromax Holdings E.A. Limited.

He claims the company engaged him as a labour contractor to oversee structural works, including masonry and steel fixing.

He maintains that his role was limited to providing skilled and semi-skilled workers and executing the works under the company’s instructions.

He further claims an engineer supervised the project and approved the works, raising fresh questions about oversight, accountability and what went wrong before the building came crashing down.

The two are among more than 20 people who have so far recorded statements with police as investigations into the tragedy intensify.

One of the three developers has also given a statement, while the landowners are expected to present themselves to police in the coming days.

Investigations have also revealed that the landowners made two separate applications to develop the property, paying Ksh.1.1 million to Nairobi County.

However, the application remained pending on the national planning and development management system after the project manager failed to address four issues flagged by the county.

Meanwhile, after eight days of sleepless nights, relentless digging and braving the scorching sun, rescue teams on Friday morning recovered the dismembered remains of a woman trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed Eastleigh building.

The recovery was made at around 6:30 a.m. in the basement, following an intensive overnight operation to clear the debris and reach victims believed to be buried beneath the wreckage.

National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU Director Dr. Duncan Ochieng; said: “The body has been taken to the mortuary for processing…the DNA will be carried out and we will be able to identify who this fellow Kenya nwas.”

Nairobi North County Commissioner Simon Osumba added: “Tutahakikisha wale familia wako hapa wamefikishwa pale lakini zile process zetu zitafanyiwa hiyo mwili ndio sasa tuweze kuhandover mwili kwa familia.”

Despite the latest recovery, the number of people reported missing remains at 16.

This as another family has come forward to report a missing relative to the Kenya Red Cross, saying the individual was believed to be in the vicinity when the building collapsed last Friday.