The National Construction Authority (NCA) has said that it cannot suspend works on faulty buildings even when it is clear the structure is a death trap.
NCA Chief Executive Officer Daniel Manduku yesterday told MPs contractors have taken advantage of loopholes in the law to flatly defy their orders to suspend construction of sub-standard buildings.
He told National Assembly’s Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Housing that they can do a better job if only they can get powers to arrest and prosecute rogue contractors and developers.
Manduku said the situation has been complicated further by police officers who have refused to cooperate with them. “The only option the authority has is to report such cases to the police to arrest and prosecute offenders.
However, in most cases, no action is taken,” he said. He recounted an incident involving a contractor whom they reported at the Central Police Station in Nairobi after he defied orders to halt a construction.
“We were forced to give up the fight after it emerged the officers were not keen to take action.”
“When we visited the station months later to find out why no arrests had been made, we were told officers were still studying the law to know which offence to charge the contractor with. We gave up.”
