Like most Nairobi buildings that have recently collapsed, the Ruaka building also collapsed at the point of construction when the 5 th floor slab was being cast.
From the debris, the cause of collapse could be due to unusually thick floor slab, approximately 200mm thick and also unusually deep beams, approximately 800mm deep. The columns were also unusually thin, approximately 350mm by 200mm.
Time aspect.
The construction could have been hurriedly stacked high up, loading the building while the support structure had not completely dried and gained sufficient strength to support the storeys.
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