Eight people have been injured after a building partially collapsed in the Mamboleo area of Kisumu.
The Kenya Red Cross Society said its teams, working alongside a multi-agency response team, attended to the eight injured people following the incident.
Six of the injured were treated at the scene, while two others, who were in critical condition, were referred to hospital for further treatment.
The Red Cross said all residents of the affected building had been successfully evacuated.
The four-storey building collapsed in Kisumu early Monday morning, trapping residents inside and forcing others to scramble to safety.
The building, which housed about 40 families, was still under construction when one side of the L-shaped structure began sinking and eventually collapsed.
Alex Bob, a ground-floor resident, said he was asleep when he was jolted awake by rushing water that carried a gas cylinder and forced open his door.
“The water had risen significantly inside the house and was pushing me towards the living room,” he said.
Bob said he could not open the bathroom door and decided to escape through the front entrance, only to find it blocked by mud, soil and rocks.
He said he spent hours trapped inside as he struggled to create an opening through the debris.
“I tried to break down the door, but the metal frame was difficult to open and kept closing,” he said.
Bob eventually escaped after using construction material around the kitchen area to create an opening at the exit.
Rose Amondi said she jumped from the first floor after they had the building caving in.
She said she hurt her wrist and hips during the process but thank God she is safe.
Another tenant who could not say her name said she was forced to come down using a ladder that was used to rescue them.from the second floor.
“Thid has been very traumatic, I can't say anything”.
Fred Mariwa, the Kisumu governor’s adviser on partnerships, resource mobilisation and urban development, said the city received an emergency call at around 6am reporting the collapse.
“We immediately dispatched ambulances and our rescue team, who rushed to the scene,” Mariwa said.
He said two people who had been trapped were rescued, while five others sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital.
Mariwa said multi-agency teams, including the National Construction Authority (NCA), Kenya Power, the City of Kisumu rescue team, police and the Kenya Red Cross, were at the scene assessing the situation.
He said demolition of the remaining structure was likely to be recommended because one side of the L-shaped building had already started sinking.
“The building is L-shaped and had reached the fourth floor. One side of the L-shaped building is already sinking, meaning by the end of the day, even if it is not brought down, it will have to come down,” he said.
The official said authorities were also investigating whether the building had the necessary approvals.
Mariwa said documents presented to officials were being analysed to establish whether they were authentic and whether construction had followed plans approved by the county government.
He said authorities had also received reports that the NCA and the county planning department had previously intervened to stop construction at the site.
“I understand that this has been done a number of times, not only once by NCA, and it is like the owner defied and they were still moving on with construction,” he said.
Mariwa added that construction appeared to have continued, with materials such as sand and floor tiles still at the site.
He said the additional weight from ongoing construction could have contributed to the collapse, although investigations were still ongoing.
The city official said authorities had not yet located the building's owner but had spoken to the caretaker, who was expected to assist them in tracing him.
“The contact that we received is not going through, so we are not able to establish where he is right now,” he said.
