Multi-storey structure under construction in busy Eastleigh neighbourhood comes down, with several people reported missing and ground-floor shops occupied at the time.
Rescue teams in Kenya’s capital are searching through a massive pile of concrete and debris after a multi-storey building under construction collapsed in Nairobi’s densely populated Eastleigh area on Friday, leaving several people feared trapped.
The structure, reported as having more than 10 upper floors still under construction and described by some officials as a 16-storey building, came down at about 1pm local time (10:00 GMT) along a busy commercial street. Videos circulating online showed a dramatic collapse with large clouds of dust as floors stacked on top of one another like pancakes.
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Kenya’s Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said 11 shops on the ground floor and in the basement were occupied at the time. Seven people have been reported missing. Of the 67 construction workers on site, 66 escaped unharmed and one was injured. Police earlier confirmed that one woman had been rescued from the rubble and that rescuers could hear another voice.
“The good news is that from the rescue team, which includes national government, county government and Red Cross, it is reported that they have made contact with some of the survivors who are still trapped inside,” Murkomen said.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who visited the scene, said the priority was saving lives. “This building has no occupation certificate … this has potentially cost lives,” he told reporters. An occupation certificate is the official approval confirming a building is safe and legally fit for use. The ground-floor shops-including an electronics store, a butchery and a grocery-were operating despite the lack of that certificate.
The site is tightly jammed between other high-rise buildings, complicating access for heavy equipment. Rescuers from the Kenya Defence Forces Disaster Response Battalion, the National Disaster Operations Centre, Nairobi County teams, the Kenya Red Cross and other agencies worked with excavators, breakers and basic tools, including poles, to clear rubble. Police fired tear gas to disperse people who had begun looting nearby shops in order to clear the area for emergency responders.
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Nairobi police chief Issa Mohamud said a manhunt had been launched for the building’s owner. Engineering experts on site pointed to wider problems in the construction sector. Bibiye Mahmoud, president of the Institution of Engineering Technology of Kenya, said contractors and engineers are expected to ensure professional standards are followed, “but most are not.”
Eastleigh is a crowded commercial and residential neighbourhood that draws thousands of traders and residents daily. The collapse has again highlighted long-standing concerns about building safety and enforcement of regulations in Nairobi, where several similar incidents have occurred in recent years involving structures under construction.
A tent was set up at the scene for families seeking information about missing relatives. As night fell and operations continued into Saturday, officials stressed that the focus remained on locating and extracting anyone still alive under the debris. The National Construction Authority has been asked to investigate the project’s compliance. Authorities have not yet released a final casualty figure or an official cause of the collapse.