Two individuals are feared trapped following the collapse of a 16-storey building under construction along Muhoho Road in Nairobi’s South C area, triggering a large-scale, multi-agency rescue operation.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, the incident occurred in the early hours of the morning, leaving at least two construction workers unaccounted for. Emergency response teams comprising the Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Nairobi City County emergency services, the National Disaster Management Unit, and Kenya Power were deployed to the scene.
In a statement shared on X, the Kenya Red Cross confirmed that the area had been cordoned off to allow rescue teams to continue search and recovery efforts.
“The area has been secured as the National Disaster Management Unit, Nairobi City County, the National Police Service, and the Kenya Red Cross continue search and rescue operations,” the statement read.
Eyewitnesses Raise Concerns Over Response Time
Eyewitnesses at the scene expressed concern over what they described as a delayed emergency response, noting that a faster intervention could have improved the chances of rescuing those trapped beneath the debris.
“Those who were working here are still inside. We don’t know whether they are alive or not. Since around 4:00 a.m., when the building collapsed, there was no response with the right equipment to remove the debris,” said one witness.
Another resident added that by the time rescue teams arrived with adequate machinery, it was feared that critical time had already been lost, calling on disaster response agencies to improve preparedness and equipment availability.
MP Condemns Regulatory Failures
Lang’ata Member of Parliament Felix Odiwuor, popularly known as Jalang’o, strongly condemned the incident, accusing some developers of bypassing safety regulations through corruption and political influence.
He revealed that he had previously raised concerns with the county government regarding questionable construction projects in the area, but received no response.
“I have written more than 43 letters to the county government requesting information about buildings that appear suspicious or lack proper approvals, but there has been no feedback. Construction continues, and when questioned, developers claim to know influential people in government,” he said.
According to the MP, the collapsed structure had been flagged by the South C Residents’ Association as one of several developments of concern.
Call for Construction Halt and Comprehensive Review
Odiwuor further criticized the rapid rise of private high-rise buildings some completed in just over a year contrasting this with government housing projects that typically take much longer. He described the trend as alarming and symptomatic of systemic regulatory failure.
He called for an immediate halt to all ongoing construction projects in South C to allow for comprehensive inspections and approvals by relevant authorities.
“We are requesting that every construction project in South C be stopped so that a fresh evaluation can be carried out by the National Construction Authority, with county approval. We need a multi-agency review before any work resumes,” he said.
Rescue operations remain ongoing as authorities work to determine the cause of the collapse and account for all workers who were at the site at the time of the incident.
