NCA, NEMA oppose reopening of Twiga Beach Hotel after deadly collapse

NCA, NEMA oppose reopening of Twiga Beach Hotel after deadly collapse

The development, which partially collapsed on July 13, 2026, left one person dead and another injured, raising concerns over the safety of the structure and compliance with construction regulations.

The National Construction Authority (NCA) and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) have urged Parliament to maintain the suspension of construction works at Twiga Beach Hotel in Watamu, Kilifi County, citing serious building violations, environmental concerns and safety risks.

The development, which partially collapsed on July 13, 2026, left one person dead and another injured, raising concerns over the safety of the structure and compliance with construction regulations.

The two agencies made the appeal before the National Assembly Public Petitions Committee on Tuesday, November 3, while responding to a petition presented by Kilifi North MP Owen Baya on behalf of Watamu residents.

The residents had raised concerns over the size of the development and its possible effects on human life, public safety, environmental conservation and the area's tourism industry.

In his petition, Baya accused the developer of disregarding Kilifi County's building and zoning regulations by constructing more floors than permitted.

He also questioned whether the project had obtained the required clearance from the Water Resources Authority (WRA) and complied with the Mean High-Water Mark rules governing beachfront developments.

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"The Petitioners are therefore concerned that the approved architectural and structural plans should be compared with the development as actually constructed, including its number of floors, number of units, overall size, configuration and intended use, to establish whether the building conforms to the approvals granted by the relevant authorities," Baya said.

In its submission, NCA told the Committee that it received reports of a partial collapse at the site on July 13, 2026, which resulted in one death and left another person with injuries.

The Authority said its inspection team arrived at the site the same day as rescue operations were underway. All workers had been accounted for, except for one who had died and another who suffered a serious leg injury.

NCA established that the collapse occurred at ground level, where workers were constructing a basement cover slab, while the building's upper structure had already reached the fifth floor.

The Authority said this showed that construction had continued despite an existing Suspension of Works Order, S/No. 226400.

In a letter dated July 14, 2026, NCA raised concerns over continued violations, including failure to observe the suspension order, collapse of temporary works, poor supervision and failure to correct breaches first identified in March 2026.

The developer was informed that the site had been declared unsafe and dangerous. NCA also maintained that the suspension order remained in force and warned against removing debris, conducting salvage operations or carrying out repairs before investigations were completed and written permission issued.

NEMA, on its part, told the Committee that an environmental inspection conducted on March 25, 2026, found several breaches of the conditions attached to the project's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) licence.

The findings led the regulator to suspend construction when the development had reached the fourth floor.

Following the collapse, NEMA sent environmental inspectors to the site on July 27 and 28 to assess the violations and establish whether the project complied with environmental requirements.

The inspection found that the developer had added floors, increasing the building from four to six storeys, extended an existing structure and introduced a basement floor and a second basement structure that were not included in the approved plans.

NEMA told the Committee that construction remained suspended as the developer had yet to obtain the required clearances from the relevant agencies. A follow-up inspection on September 22, 2026, confirmed that the suspension was still in place.

The Authority said it was working with the Kilifi County Government, NCA, the National Land Commission, WRA and the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Watamu to ensure compliance and address outstanding concerns.