By Mandere Onyinkwa
When the Nyangito Wing at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital began to show cracks—literally—patients and staff were forced to confront a terrifying truth: the building they trusted with their lives was no longer safe.
The eight-year-old block, once a beacon of regional healthcare, became a subject of concern after it showed signs of structural distress and triggered an urgent technical response.
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A multidisciplinary team from the National Construction Authority (NCA), the National Building Inspectorate, and the County Government of Kisii conducted a preliminary audit and uncovered serious faults.
Among the findings were “column compression failure in three critical basement columns,” “excessive beam deflections,” and “poor concrete quality observed in both beams and columns.”
The team also noted “deterioration of slabs and walls resulting from extensive leakages” and “diagonal cracking around window edges on the ground-floor level,” according to a public statement signed by Eng. Maurice Akech, Executive Director of NCA.
For patients like those recovering from surgery, the evacuation was disorienting.
“I thought I was healing. I didn’t expect to be carried out because the building itself was sick,” one of them said.
The technical team recommended immediate evacuation of all persons from the affected block and called for comprehensive structural tests to determine the full extent of the damage and inform a safe course of action.
Completed eighty years ago, the Wing which bears the name of former Permanent Secretary (PS) Dr Hezron Nyangito passed for an architectural wonder in Kisii when it rose above hospital other buildings.
KTRH has since undergone major facelifts, and now has several eye-catching buildings which have dwarfed the once upon a time shiny Wing.
As investigations continue, the NCA has urged calm, reaffirming that “our priority remains the safety and well-being of all users of the facility.”
