On Sunday, March 20, more than 50 students of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) were rescued from a five-story residential apartment in Juja, Kiambu County, after drowning.
This comes after the building of the ‘Gate C’ area of the university opened on Sunday evening, threatening the lives of the tenants. As per initial reports, a student got injured and got medical help.
Images obtained by Kenyans.co.ke show the ground floor of the building tufted inwards, with windows and metal doors protruding outwards from their frames. Police officers and county firefighters rushed to the scene to help evacuate the students.
“Around 52 students have been affected by the incident. A Kiambu County official told the media, “We moved quickly to evacuate them in time to make sure no casualties were reported so far.”
Notably, due to the danger posed by the building, no student was allowed to remove belongings from it. Affected students were offered accommodation by their classmates.
Discussions are on with the school administration to temporarily keep the students in university hostels. Some students have complained of losing money, noting that they have been compensated only from their rent deposits.
“What we ask for is that we get compensation. Personally I have nothing left, still I have to complete my studies. Ksh6,740 deposit refund would be very helpful as I have nothing; No clothes, no food and nowhere to stay,” lamented one of the students.
The Kiambu County government ordered the immediate demolition of the building, which was carried out by county engineers. The operation was done carefully to ensure that the surrounding buildings were not damaged.
In addition, officials have launched crackdowns on county buildings to assess their safety. It is the second building in the county to develop a structural warning sign this month.
On March 6, a five-storey building under construction in Kinoo collapsed. At midnight, the building collapsed due to its suffocation, causing it to lean on an adjacent apartment building, necessitating the immediate evacuation of tenants.
The county ordered that the structure be demolished. The incident sparked a debate over who should be held accountable.
