A sombre mood enveloped the KCC area in the Miritini ward in Jomvu sub-county, as three families grappled with the devastating loss of loved ones after a perimeter wall collapsed on Monday afternoon.

The victims were among eight mourners when the fence belonging to Kenya United Steel Company (KUSCO) Limited collapsed.

Five people died instantly, while several others were rushed to hospitals in critical condition. By Tuesday, the death toll had risen to eight after three more succumbed to their injuries. Among the injured is a six-month-old baby, currently fighting for life at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital in critical condition.

In one household, the family is mourning the loss of a single mother, Medza Mwangolo, who was six months pregnant with twins.

“We had gathered at a neighbour’s home, waiting for the body of the deceased to arrive for transportation upcountry. When it started raining, everyone scrambled for shelter and my sister was caught outside, near the wall, when it collapsed,” Medza’s sister recounted the 2 pm incident, tears streaming down her face.

Shoddy workmanship

Medza was a mother of six children, her sister revealed, all now left with no one to care for them.

Residents have blamed the collapse on sub-standard material and shoddy workmanship.

On Tuesday, County Director of Physical Planning, Paul Manyala, issued an enforcement notice to KUSCO, ordering the immediate demolition of the remaining wall and restoration of the land.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir expressed his condolences to the affected families, vowing that his administration would crack down on unsafe structures.