Eastleigh building collapse: Witness painfully recalls chilling moments before tragedy

• A witness was crossing the road in Eastleigh when something made him stop and look towards the 13-storey structure
• Construction workers were active on multiple floors of the building when the unthinkable happened on Friday
• Jacob described what he saw unfold before his eyes in a matter of minutes, leaving him shaken

A boda boda rider identified as Jacob has given a harrowing account of the moments just before a 13-storey building under construction came crashing down in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on Friday, 23 October 2026.

Jacob told NTV Kenya that he had just dropped off a customer at their destination and was making his way across the road when an unusual sound stopped him in his tracks.

He turned towards the source of the noise and watched in disbelief as the towering structure collapsed within just two minutes.

Jacob recalls hearing sound

"I heard a sound, and when I looked, the building was coming down," he recounted, the trauma of what he witnessed still evident in his voice.

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At the time of the collapse, the building was a hive of activity.

Workers were reported to be operating on the ground floor and first floor, while construction crews were also active near the top of the structure. Dozens of people were said to be inside when it fell.

Ordinary Friday afternoon turn catastrophic in Eastleigh

The speed at which the building gave way left little time for those caught inside to react.

Jacob's account paints a grim picture of an ordinary Friday afternoon that turned catastrophic in the span of moments, with workers going about their tasks before the structure they depended on for their livelihoods gave way beneath and around them.

The incident has raised urgent questions about construction safety standards in one of Nairobi's most densely populated and commercially active neighbourhoods, where buildings regularly rise amid bustling street activity.

Miners who died in Manso Keniago Galamsey Pit

In another story, TUKO also highlighted facts about the eight miners who died in a galamsey pit collapse at Manso Keniago, whose identities were shared in an obituary poster circulating online.

The deaths prompted an outpouring of grief from Ghanaians, as residents and families mourned the victims and recalled the dangers of illegal small-scale mining.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

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