by Frankline Oduor
Friday October 23, 2026
A collage showing rubble from a building that collapsed along Yusuf Haji Avenue, next to Day to Day Supermarket in Eastleigh, Nairobi, and residents gathering at the scene on October 23, 2026. Photo Kenyans.co.ke
Several people are feared trapped after a 13-floor building under construction collapsed along 9th Street in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area on Friday, October 23.
The Friday afternoon incident brought business to a standstill along the busy street as residents, traders and passersby gathered near the scene.
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The building along Yusuf Haji Avenue, next to Day to Day Supermarket, was reportedly occupied, with shops and rental units operating on its lower floors despite ongoing construction work.
"A building has collapsed along Yusuf Haji Avenue, next to Day to Day Supermarket on 9th Street, Eastleigh. Kenya Red Cross response teams are en route to the scene," Kenya Red Cross confirmed.
There were fears that workers or other people may have been inside the building when it collapsed, with efforts to establish whether anyone was trapped ongoing.
The number of people trapped, casualties and injuries had not been confirmed by the time of publication as details of the incident continued to emerge.
According to eyewitness accounts and reports from the scene, the building was still under construction and had reached its 13th floor before it collapsed.
Meanwhile, the incident caused a major traffic snarl-up on roads leading into and out of Eastleigh, a busy commercial hub in Nairobi’s Eastlands, disrupting movement in the surrounding area.
Images and videos seen by Kenyans.co.ke showed residents gathering along 9th Street to catch a glimpse of the scene as the situation unfolded.
The crowd that gathered at the scene temporarily hampered emergency responders' access to the site, making it difficult for rescue teams and emergency vehicles to reach the building and coordinate rescue efforts.
The situation was further complicated by Friday prayers, a key weekly religious observance for the predominantly Muslim Eastleigh community.
Amateur videos seen by this publication also showed residents using social media livestreams to urge Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to dispatch emergency response teams to the scene.
A multi-agency security team comprising personnel from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), regular police, the Bomb Disposal Unit and other specialised rapid-response teams later arrived at the scene to cordinate the emergency response efforts.
Police officers also lobbed tear gas to disperse hundreds of curious onlookers who had gathered around the collapsed building, seeking to clear the area for emergency responders.
The Nairobi County Government (NCCG), the National Police Service (NPS), the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) and the National Construction Authority (NCA) had yet to issue statements on the incident or clarify whether the building had obtained the necessary approvals and complied with construction regulations.