Chinese-built bridge in Kenya collapses as it prepares to open

A Chinese-built bridge in western Kenya that cost $10 million collapsed as it was set to open next month, injuring at least 27 construction workers.

Photos of a collapsed Chinese-built bridge in Kenya were posted on social media. Photo: Twitter

According to Quartz, a bridge under construction by Chinese contractors in Budalangi, Busia, western Kenya, collapsed on June 26, injuring at least 27 construction workers at the site.

The Kenyan government has ordered a halt to the bridge construction and sent a team of engineers to the site to investigate the cause of the collapse. The incident occurred less than two weeks after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta personally inspected the bridge.

President Kenyatta had earlier pledged to build a bridge across the river in the town of Busia after a boat capsized on the river that killed 11 people.

The Kenyan government's winning bid and the construction contract for the 100-meter-long bridge was awarded to China Overseas Construction Group (COEG), a subsidiary of China Railway, one of the world's largest construction companies.

Before construction began, COEG worked with the British non-profit organization Safer World to communicate with local people and assure them of the safety of the bridge project.

The collapsed bridge was scheduled to open in July. Photo: Twitter

“This is a very unusual incident because we followed all the standards set by the project owner,” said COEG project manager Jerome Hua. “We have experienced engineers, but we were really surprised by what happened.”

According to Quartz, the bridge collapse in Kenya has once again raised questions about the quality of projects built by Chinese companies in Africa.

Over the past 10 years, Chinese companies have increasingly won infrastructure construction contracts in Africa, but have also encountered many incidents related to the quality and safety of the projects.

In 2009, Chinese-built roads in Zambia were destroyed by heavy rains, while in 2010, a Chinese-built hospital in Angola had to be evacuated after local officials warned that the building could collapse due to poor construction.

According to Dan Tri