Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

- As the sun rose on Sunday, April 6, Jared Nyakundi began his day like any other, reporting for duty at a construction site in Kisii South.

But by midmorning, the 35-year-old man's life would hang by a thread under a mountain of concrete and steel that turned a regular workday into a fight for survival.

Nyakundi, a mason working on the second floor of the now-collapsed building in the Kisii South Sub-county, is one of those who made it out alive.

Trapped under the rubble for six grueling hours, his story is one of horror, hope, and haunting hindsight.

"As the one above collapsed, it came down and covered me — right there where we were arranging the load. The bricks burst and fell down, and it missed me by just a little. That’s where it stopped," Nyakundi recalled from his hospital bed.

In the Sunday tragedy, the building collapsed, killing five and injuring several others inside and around the building.

A footage captured the moment rescuers pulled Nyakundi from the debris, barely conscious, gasping for air with an oxygen tank strapped to him.

His battered body told the story of a man who had defied death, inch by inch.

As the structure crumbled around him, Nyakundi was buried under the second-floor slab, he survived by breathing through a tiny crevice, his only connection to life outside the ruins.

Nyakundi said he summoned every bit of strength to call for help, even managing to alert a fellow worker to keep their distance to avoid being trapped with him.

In the moments before the collapse, Nyakundi said he overheard a colleague warning the building’s developer about structural instability on the third floor.

"There was someone who built that house and told the boss that there was a part at the top that was shaking. You know, he just said, 'let them park two up there.' Shortly after that, the building collapsed,'" he said, voice trembling.

In a statement following the tragedy, National Construction Authority (NCA) Executive Director Eng. Maurice Aketch confirmed that the ill-fated building had already been flagged for demolition due to non-compliance.

"The works were not registered with the National Construction Authority and as such there are no contractor or consultant details on record. The Authority's Nyanza South quality assurance team had suspended construction works on the site due to non-compliance via suspension order 117181 issued on 3rd September 2024, but the developer resumed work before obtaining the necessary clearance from the Authority," Akech explained in part.

The site, Plot No. Wanjare/Bogiakumu/2138 was under the direction of developer John Chore, who defied the suspension order and resumed work without clearance.

Authorities have now launched a manhunt for Chore, who is on the run.

​On Sunday, October 20, a seven-story building in Kahawa West, Nairobi, collapsed, sending shockwaves through the community.

Residents, who had been alerted to the building's structural issues, had evacuated prior to the incident, preventing major casualties. ​

Newton, a resident living adjacent to the collapsed structure, recounted his harrowing experience.

He was closing his door when debris began to fall, enveloping the area in darkness. Reacting swiftly, he ran to a corner to shield himself.

Source: TUKO.co.ke