Poor workmanship is the leading cause of building collapses in Kenya according to an audit report done by the National Construction Authority (NCA) on building collapses in the country. NCA made the findings following an assessment involving 14,895 buildings. The assessment found that 10,791 of the buildings were very unsafe and either needed to be demolished or reinforced before occupation. The finding means a significant number of Kenyans are living on structural time bombs. Another 1,217 buildings were found to be fair and only 2,194 certified as safe. NCA also found that thousands of buildings in Nairobi exist without approval. According to the report, the country has recorded 87 building collapses over the past five years while an estimated 200 people have lost their lives in the last five years and over 1,000 injured as a result. Notably, 65 per cent of collapsed buildings were residential while 25 per cent were commercial 10 per cent were mixed-use developments. According to NCA, 66 per cent of the building collapsed after completion while 34 per cent collapsed during construction. The audit report states that no action was taken in the case of 12 per cent of the building collapses while more than 40 per cent of the building collapse cases do not have a clear record of actions. Only one per cent of the cases have made it to court, following a public outcry while in most cases inconclusive investigations that do not lead to prosecutions are the norm. More than 700 buildings, mostly in informal settlements, are at a high risk of collapsing and require demolition according to the audit report. Other causes of building collapse according to the report include use of substandard materials, non-compliance to building standards and regulations, inadequate structural design and overloading, and inadequate maintenance of structures. Read; NCA on Why Buildings Collapse