Casual labourer dies after billboard collapses at Expressway construction site
A general view of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport toll station on the Nairobi expressway in Nairobi on September 8, 2023. (Photo by SIMON MAINA / AFP) (Photo by SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images)
A casual labourer died following a workplace accident at a construction site near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Police officers attached to the Expressway Section One project said the incident occurred on June 7, 2026, at around 9:40 am at the Cale Chinese Construction site located along the border of JKIA and Katani area.
The two workers including Meshack Mulatia were engaged in the demolition of a warehouse within the construction site when a billboard unexpectedly collapsed onto them, causing serious injuries.â¨Both victims were rushed to Shalom Hospital in Athi River for treatment.
One was treated and discharged on the same day, while Meshack Mulatia remained hospitalized in critical condition.
Police said Mulatia succumbed to his injuries on June 8 at approximately 6:00 pm while undergoing treatment.
Authorities have opened investigations into the workplace accident to establish the circumstances that led to the collapse of the billboard and determine whether safety regulations were adequately observed at the site.
Meanwhile, police investigating the shooting of a 29-year-old man in Kuria West, Migori County, now believe the victim may have been mistaken for a police officer by an armed gang fleeing from a robbery.
A team revisited the shooting scene near St. Kizito along a remote road close to Green Shed Estate on June 8.
Investigators found blood stains believed to mark the spot where the victim was shot.
A thorough search of the area, however, failed to recover any spent cartridge cases.â¨The development comes after a separate robbery incident was reported by a proprietor of Nyansiri Shop and an M-Pesa agency operating under Aneditide Ltd Bash.
He told police that at around 8:10 pm on June 7, four armed men stormed his business as he prepared to close for the night.
The gang, one of whom was armed with a rifle while the others carried pangas and metal-headed clubs, demanded cash. Nyageteria managed to escape through a rear door as the attackers ransacked the premises and made away with approximately Sh80,000. He was not injured during the robbery.
Investigators now suspect that the same gang may have encountered Marwa while escaping from the scene.
Police noted that the victim was wearing jungle-green trousers commonly sold by second-hand clothing dealers, which may have caused the attackers to mistake him for a police officer.
The victim remains admitted at the Migori County Referral Hospital, where doctors have scheduled surgery after he sustained a fractured left leg in the shooting. An X-ray conducted on June 8 did not reveal any bullet fragments at the injury site.
Police say investigations into both the robbery and shooting incidents are ongoing, with detectives pursuing leads to identify and arrest the suspects involved.