Before the Monday morning tragedy that claimed the lives of seven learners at Precious Talent Academy in Ng’ando Ward in Nairobi, the school was a disaster waiting to happen.
The school, tucked away in the slums along Ngong Road in Dagoretti South Constituency, has no proper structures to accommodate the more than 800 pupils who flocked it for knowledge.
As you approach the school, you are free to enter from any angle because it lacks a fence.
The structures in the compound speak of a school that has literally been punching above its weight, with many of its pupils shining in national exams.
CONSTRUCTION
From the rubble, it is clear that the structure that caved in and came tumbling down was weak, supported only by wooden pillars and iron rods that are bent.
Most of the classrooms seen by Nation are tin-walled, partitioned with plywood and cardboards.
There is only one stone block in the compound.
Some parents and school neighbours said they had raised concerns over the safety and stability of the building.
The floors of the classrooms were made of wood and on it slab held together by wire mesh and many claimed the structure was a product of poor engineering and workmanship.
Brian Ajega, a Ng’ando resident who helped with the rescue, said the ground floor of the building was wooden while the upper floors were made of concrete.
And according to Meshack Nyabuto, an administrator at the local chief’s office, some of the pupils had complained about the shaking structure, complaints that the school failed to act upon.
Within the school compound is a store, evidence that construction was still ongoing.
MATERIALS
On Monday, National Buildings Inspectorate (NBI) secretary Moses Nyakiongora termed the school building “a structural failure and a work of quackery”, adding that the school owner exposed learners to death.
Speaking at the scene, Mr Nyakiongora admitted that NBI officers were not aware of the existence of the building, adding that Nairobi County has many such structures.
And according a press release by St John’s Ambulance, one of the teams that led the search and rescue operation, it is suspected that the ill-fated building could have caved in as result of weak materials, “as it was made of iron sheets and wood only”.
“The temporary structure was hosting four classrooms on the upper floor and another four on the ground,” the disaster response agency said.
COUNTY ADMINISTRATION
But the school owner Moses Wainaina does not believe his structures were weak or done by quacks.
He instead blames Nairobi City County for the collapse, which he termed as “an accident”.
According to Mr Wainaina, Governor Mike Sonko’s administration recently dug a sewer line behind the classrooms, weakening the building’s foundation.
“They had good intentions to help this school but an accident has happened,” he said as he battled to calm irate parents.
Mr Wainaina’s claims were echoed by the school headteacher, who argued that a sewer line passed under the structure, and that strengthening the one-storey building would require bringing it down entirely.
Victims of the tragedy were learners in Classes One to Three who fell from first floor to the ground, with some being hit by blocks and debris.
Learners who occupied the ground floor— Standard Six, Seven and Eight— were the most affected when the classroom caved in.
HELP LINE
The Kenya Red Cross has set up an information centre and is also providing psychosocial support services.
The numbers are +254 715 820 219 and hotline 1199.