In the rubble of Kisii, one question stands tall, could traceability have prevented this tragedy?

A heart breaking tragedy struck Kisii County this week when a five storey building under construction collapsed, killing five people and injuring four others. The collapse happened early in the morning, trapping workers under heavy rubble. While rescue teams worked hard to save lives, the community was left in shock.

Early reports point to possible use of poor-quality materials and weak construction. Sadly, this is not new in Kenya’s building sector. Many projects are done with little oversight, and it is hard to know who is responsible when things go wrong.

This is where traceability can help. With traceability, every material like cement, steel and sand can be tracked to see where it came from and if it met quality standards. It also shows which contractors and engineers were involved and whether they were certified.

Traceability can help catch problems early, prevent disasters and make it easier to hold people accountable when accidents happen. It is time to make building safety a priority because lives depend on it.