Chinese Overseas Construction and Engineering, the firm constructing the Sigiri bridge says they take responsibility for its collapse.
The 1.2 billion bridge collapsed yesterday under unclear circumstances. The incident left 27 people injured; 25 of who were treated and discharged at the Port Victoria Hospital with the two seriously injured admitted in Nangina Mission Hospital.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy had in less than two weeks before visited the area to inspect the progress of the construction. During the launch of the bridge, President Uhuru had in a tweet stated that, “This bridge will significantly reduce deaths and make it easier for the residents to access markets, schools and hospitals.”
“It is constructed by my government at a cost of Sh1billion and will be completed by mid-July,” Uhuru had ordered its construction in 2014, after nine people died while crossing River Nzoia.
The Government said it had dispatched a team of top engineers to investigate the cause of the collapse. Infrastructure Principal Secretary John Mosonik said Kenya Rural Roads Authority was also planning a “detailed geo-technical and structural investigation to establish the cause of the (structural) failure”.
The Opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) alleged the collapse was evidence that Jubilee government projects were meant for enriching individuals.
“The embarrassing collapse exposes the fact that the Sh1.2 billion was for siphoning off public funds rather than putting up a quality bridge,” said NASA National Campaign Committee member Kibisu Kabatesi in a statement.
During a tour of Busia on Sunday, NASA presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga had accused Uhuru of taking credit for a project that was his idea.
Kenyans took to Twitter to give their two cents on the issue, with the creation of the hash tag #sigiribridge
Written by: Melissa May.