Chinese company probes bridge collapse in Kenya

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A bridge under construction on River Nzioa in western Kenya collapsed on Monday, injuring at least 27 workers, Kenyan media reported.

China Railway No.10 Engineering Group Co., Ltd., a company carrying out the construction of the 25-meter-long Sigiri Bridge, has confirmed its collapse and promised to release investigation results as soon as possible.

Launched in 2015, the project worth 1.2 billion Kenyan shillings (about 11.6 million US dollars) was scheduled for completion in July.

The incident happened twelve days after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's inspection of the project.

Construction site of Sigiri Bridge. /China Railway No.10 Engineering Group Co., Ltd. Photo

"From our engineering part this is unusual as all the standards and specifications were met," China Railway No.10 Engineering Group Project Manager Jerome Azhuha told Kenya's Standard Digital. "We are going to look into the reasons and make public our findings."

Azhuha said the Chinese company would compensate those injured but did not indicate if it was taking responsibility for the collapse.

Kenyan Infrastructure Principal Secretary John Mosonik said on Tuesday that authorities were planning a "detailed geo-technical and structural investigation to establish the cause of the failure."

Citing unspecified sources, a Standard Digital story blamed load imbalance on the bridge for its collapse, which has not been confirmed by Kenyan authorities.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's tweet after inspecting the construction site of Sigiri Bridge on June 14, 2017. /Twitter Screenshot

The bridge was built to provide passage for local residents after a boat capsized on the river, killing nine people, as they attempted to cross it by canoe.

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