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Two people have been rescued from the rubble of a multi-storey building that collapsed in Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighbourhood, Kenya, as emergency teams continued searching for people feared trapped beneath the debris amid renewed concerns over construction standards and regulatory enforcement.
The building, which was under construction, collapsed on Friday, October 23, along 9th Street, near Day to Day Supermarket, in the densely populated commercial district. The incident triggered a multi-agency emergency response involving security personnel, disaster management officials, medical teams and humanitarian workers. Blueprint reports
The rescue operation entered its second day on Saturday, with officials working to establish the whereabouts of people who may have been inside the building or its shops when the structure came down.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen initially reported that seven people were missing following the collapse. He said 67 construction workers had been at the site, with 66 escaping without injuries and one sustaining injuries.
However, subsequent reports indicated that a man and a pregnant woman had been rescued from the debris and taken for medical attention. The precise number of people still trapped remained subject to verification as rescue workers continued searching the site.
The Kenya Red Cross also reported receiving 31 missing-person cases from families seeking information about their relatives. The organisation said it was verifying the reports, as some people initially listed as missing were later traced or found to have left the construction site before the collapse. The different figures reflect the challenges of establishing an accurate account of those affected while rescue operations remain ongoing.
Murkomen said 11 shops on the ground floor and in the basement were occupied at the time of the incident, raising fears that traders, customers and other occupants could have been caught in the collapse.
He said rescue teams had established contact with some of the missing people and were working to reach those believed to be trapped.
Questions over building approvals
The collapse has intensified scrutiny of the development’s approval status and the enforcement of construction regulations in Nairobi.
Governor Johnson Sakaja said a review of county records raised concerns about the building’s approvals. According to his account, permission had been granted for a change of use from residential to commercial-cum-residential, but the architectural plans subsequently submitted for the development had not been approved by the county.
The governor also said the building did not have an occupation certificate, a document required to establish that a structure is fit for occupation under the applicable regulatory framework.
Sakaja said the county had forwarded information to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations for further inquiries. He also called on professional bodies representing architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and builders to examine the roles of those involved in the project.
The National Construction Authority identified 9th Street Plaza Limited as the developer and Stromax Holdings E.A. Limited as the contractor. Its records also listed Emmanuel Mwangi Maina as the project architect and Joseph Muturi Mugu as the structural engineer.
The Engineers Board of Kenya has launched an investigation to establish the factors that contributed to the collapse and determine whether any engineers involved in the project breached professional obligations.
Authorities have not yet established the definitive cause of the disaster. The reported approval concerns are therefore part of the investigation and should not, on their own, be treated as proof of individual culpability.
Murkomen said the circumstances surrounding the incident would be examined by the relevant national and county agencies in collaboration with professional bodies. He warned that anyone found responsible would face the consequences provided by law.
Rescue teams face difficult operation
The search has involved the Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Nairobi City County Government, National Youth Service, Kenya Red Cross and other emergency agencies.
Responders have been working to remove debris and reach the lower sections of the collapsed structure, which was surrounded by other buildings and businesses. Reports that people might still be alive beneath the rubble have required rescuers to balance the urgency of the operation with the need to avoid destabilising the remaining debris.
Emergency personnel have also used specialised search equipment, including sniffer dogs and thermal sensors, to help locate possible survivors.
Authorities have urged members of the public to stay away from the affected streets to allow emergency vehicles and rescue equipment to operate without obstruction. The Kenya Red Cross has been receiving reports from families through its emergency response channels to help verify missing-person cases.
The immediate priority remains the safe recovery of anyone still trapped, while investigations seek to establish what caused the building to collapse and whether construction or regulatory failures contributed to the incident.
Latest collapse revives memories of earlier tragedies
The Eastleigh incident is the latest in a series of building collapses in Nairobi that have raised questions about construction safety and the enforcement of building regulations.
In January 2026, a multi-storey building under construction collapsed in the South C neighbourhood of Nairobi. The incident prompted an extensive rescue operation, during which two bodies were recovered from the rubble, according to an update issued by the National Construction Authority on January 7.
The authority subsequently said the South C project had been non-compliant at the time of the collapse, although it had been registered in 2023. The case prompted further investigations into the development and the responsibilities of the parties involved.
A separate building under construction also collapsed in Nairobi’s Karen area on January 10. Preliminary findings by the county government pointed to possible structural failure associated with poor workmanship and inadequate formwork. Officials raised concerns about the reported use of unsuitable timber supports instead of the required steel props for a double-volume slab. Investigations were initiated to determine the full circumstances.
These incidents followed other construction-related accidents in the capital. In May 2025, at least two workers were killed when a wall at a construction site in Parklands collapsed. County officials said the site had previously been condemned and raised concerns about excavation work carried out without approved architectural plans.
The repeated incidents have strengthened calls for closer monitoring of construction projects, particularly in fast-growing urban areas where demand for residential and commercial property continues to place pressure on developers and local authorities.
Building safety figures raise further concerns
The wider state of construction oversight has also come under scrutiny.
The Architectural Association of Kenya’s Status of the Built Environment Report 2025 stated that the National Building Inspectorate audited 396 buildings in 2025, compared with 20,649 developments inspected in 2024. Of the buildings audited in 2025, 87 per cent reportedly failed to comply with building standards or lacked the required approvals.
The report also highlighted concerns about the limited involvement of registered professionals in construction, citing an estimate that about 80 per cent of construction activity takes place without their involvement.
The figures point to the scale of the regulatory challenge, although the audited buildings do not necessarily represent every building in the country. They nevertheless reinforce calls for more consistent inspections, stronger professional supervision and effective enforcement of existing rules.
Kenya’s National Building Inspectorate identifies poor workmanship, substandard materials, inadequate supervision and weak quality control among the factors that can contribute to building failures. The precise cause of the Eastleigh collapse, however, remains to be determined by the ongoing investigation.
For residents, traders and construction workers, the consequences of another collapse extend beyond the immediate danger to life. The destruction of buildings can also damage livelihoods, disrupt businesses and leave families uncertain about the fate of loved ones.
As the search in Eastleigh continues, attention is likely to remain on whether the investigation will establish clear responsibility and lead to meaningful enforcement action.
For now, rescue teams are focused on reaching those who may still be beneath the rubble. The subsequent findings will be crucial in determining what went wrong and whether failures in design, construction, supervision or regulatory enforcement played a role in the tragedy.
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