Kigali orders demolition of unfinished building whose columns crumbled under the floors above

City spokesperson Emma Claudine Ntirenganya told KT Press that laboratory tests first suggested some sections could come down while others stayed. A second technical study then checked whether the remaining frame could carry a rebuild, and it could not. Demolition has started. The owner will need a new building permit to build on the site again.

Residents said cracks appeared as soon as the first floor was finished. In August, videos online showed pieces breaking off while crews kept working, and the top of the building leaning. KT Press reported that columns were crumbling under the weight above. Both KT Press and Umunota reported that the defects included cement mixed in the wrong proportions and reinforcing steel below the standard for a building of that size. Some bars bent under the load of the upper section.

The owner, Twahirwa Theoneste, said he has not yet calculated his loss and blamed mistakes in construction, not a lack of materials. Neither outlet named the architect, engineer or builder, and KT Press said it had not been established who was responsible for which failure. The city urged developers to hire qualified professionals who belong to their professional bodies. Members are easier to hold to account, it said.