Kenyan bridge collapses

A newly-built bridge in Kenya has collapsed, just days after a visit from the country’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta.

Reportedly, just one month short of completion, the 50 m-long central span of the US$11.5 million Sigiri Bridge broke off from the landward span, injuring at least 20 workers as it crashed to the ground.

Work on the bridge has now been suspended, and the government has dispatched a team of engineers to investigate the cause of the failure.

The contractor, China Overseas Construction and Engineering Company (COVEC) is reportedly maintaining it did nothing wrong during the construction process, which began in 2015.

COVEC’s project manager on the bridge said, “We adhered to all the set standards before and during the construction of the bridge,” adding, “We have experienced engineers and we are equally baffled by what happened.”

The Sigiri Bridge is an important development in Kenya’s Busia County, linking the communities of Bunyala North and South, and reducing a 100 km road journey to just 3 km.