Kenya school collapse kills several children

A two-story school building made of corrugated metal and wood collapsed in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, early on Monday, with at least seven of the school’s some 800 pupils killed by falling debris.

Two of the some 64 children injured in the disaster remain in critical condition, which occurred shortly after lessons at the privately-run school, The Precious Talent Top School, had begun for the day.

Many of residents of the suburb of Dagoretti, where the collapse took place, blamed bad building methods for the accident.

“You can easily break it with your own hands, as easy as that,” said one resident, Peter Ouko. “This is chicken wire, not a construction material, and someone had the guts to use this to build a construction for our kids. I think this is basically premeditated murder.”

The school will be closed for the next four days, according to the Kenyan education minister

Lack of regulation

The MP for Dagoretti, John Kiarie, told KTN television that the accident demonstrated that there was no proper “regulation of educational institutions, especially those in informal settlements … regulations that pertain to the construction and stability of educational instiutions.”

Numerous buildings in Nairobi and other cities have collapsed in recent years, often causing deaths. Kenya has experienced a booming construction industry in the past few years, but corruption is rampant, allowing contractors to ignore regulations and safety standards.

Read more: Africa’s problem with tax avoidance

tj/rc (AFP, AP)

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