Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has ordered the inspection of all buildings in the town to ensure they are safe for occupation.

Nassir said his administration had dispatched a building inspection team to identify unsafe buildings that risk collapse as a way of averting disasters.

One person was injured when a three-storey building collapsed at the Mackinnon market in Mombasa on Saturday.

Speaking at the scene, Nassir issued a warning to rogue developers who flout construction regulations.

The building collapsed hours after businesses were evacuated by the Mombasa County disaster team after it was declared unsafe due to huge cracks.

The house collapsed due to cracks caused by ongoing construction adjacent to the building weakening its walls.

The house hosted several businesses on the ground floor. It was declared unsafe on May 12 and tenants were forced to vacate.

According to a letter dated May 12, Mombasa County Chief Officer for Land, Urban Planning and Housing Ali Shariff directed the landlord to ensure immediate evacuation of tenants.

Nassir acknowledged efforts by his disaster management team to prevent a disaster.

“We thank the CECs for forcibly removing the people who were doing business here. We would have buried bodies if it was not for stringent enforcement by the county inspectorate,” he said.

The Governor said the county will heighten measures to ensure all constructions follow the law.

“There is a crackdown going on. We have saved one in Likoni. We will not hesitate to issue demolition orders for houses that risk lives,” he said.