Mombasa — Central Mombasa is gearing for a planned demolition of a 9-storey building declared structuraly unsound after its floor columns sunk by three metres in a fault blamed on an unpproved drilling of a borehole.
Officials worked round the clock on Tuesday to evacuate the Coast General Teaching an Refferal Hospital located in close proximity to the building on Plot No. XLVI/195/MI off Abdel Nasser Road ahead on Wednesday's demolition.
"This is a life-saving operation. We cannot and will not compromise on the safety of our people," Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Sherrif Nassir said while announcing mandatory evacuation within a 1.2km radius.
A Multisectoral Agency Team comprising the County Department of Lands, Urban Planning and Housing, the National Building Inspectorate, National Construction Authority, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), and other state agencies carried out a structural assessment and confirmed severe foundational compromise.
As part of emergency preparedness, Kenya Red Cross evacuated 289 patients from the adjacent Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Those evacuated included critical care patients relocated to Port Reitz and Utange hospitals.
Mandatory evacuation zone
Ambulances from the County Government, Kenya Red Cross, and the Kenya Navy supported the transfers.
In compliance with international explosive demolition safety standards, the multi-agency team including the KDF declared a 1.2-kilometre radius around the condemned building as a mandatory evacuation zone.
Areas affected include Digo Road, Hospital Road, Jomo Kenyatta Road, Mwembe Tayari, Kava Shibu Road, and other adjoining streets.
All residents and traders within the designated zone a required to vacate by 2pm Wednesday.
The KDF is designated to man the inner security cordon with the National Police and County Enspectorate enforcing restrictions on the outer boundary.
The operation will also see Nyali Bridge closed for an hour prior to the scheduled demolition with residents urged to adjust travel plans accordingly.
The county government mobilized local leaders and Community Health Promoters to conduct door-to-door sensitization to ensure compliance.
Governor Nassir designated the Port Reitz Hospital as the primary response center to respond to emergencies.
