Man dies after falling off fifth floor of a house in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area

 

A 30-year-old man died after he fell from the fifth floor of a house under construction in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area.

Police said the body of one Emmanuel Emau was discovered Monday evening long after he had fallen off the house that is almost complete in the construction along Maj Jackson Murithi Road.

Police were called to the scene and picked up the body to the mortuary.

Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said they are investigating the tragedy.

He said a multi-agency team is on the ground inspecting the earlier incident where the four died.

“We are investigating all these incidents being reported. They are tragic and call for attention,” he said.

This came two days after four workers died after a scaffolding they were using in the construction of a 17-storey house in the same area caved in.

A team is inspecting a residential building under construction in Pangani where the four died Saturday.

State Department of Public Works Principal Secretary Joel Arumonyang said those found responsible for the incident that injured eight others will face consequences.

He said the incident occurred while workers on the 17-floor project were plastering the external walls of the 15th, 16th, and 17th floors.

"The workers were operating from a timber platform supported by a scaffold made of old wooden planks," the statement reads.

 "Due to weather elements, the structure had become weak and unsound, and could no longer support the weight of the workers, equipment and materials."

Officials said scaffolding collapsed from the 10th floor and onto an adjacent property, taking the workers with it.

Arumonyang said the construction workers lacked personal protective equipment, especially helmets and safety harnesses. 

"The scaffolding structure also lacked proper maintenance, and thus its collapse was imminent," he said.

Residents in the area decried the state of construction in Pangani and Eastleigh where they say developers are not adhering to safety standards.

“Regulations about the safety of works at height should be strictly adhered to and the consultants involved in the supervision of such works should ensure the temporary works used by contractors are approved,” the PS said.

He added that contractors must ensure construction workers adhere to the safety standards.

The PS warned that developers and contractors bear the greatest responsibility to provide a healthy and safe working environment for their workers.

BY  CYRUS OMBATI