One Rescued After Nairobi Building Collapse as Eastleigh Search Continues
Illustration: This generic scene does not depict the actual Eastleigh collapse.
One person has been rescued from the rubble of a building collapse in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area, while emergency teams continue searching for people who may still be trapped. The building was under construction in a busy commercial district, and officials have not confirmed a final casualty count or what caused it to collapse.
What officials have confirmed
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said one person had been rescued as responders searched the remains of the multi-storey structure along 9th Street in Eastleigh, The Star reported. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said crews were clearing debris carefully and that some people inside had been communicating with rescuers, according to a separate report from The Star.
The response has brought together county and national teams, including the Kenya Defence Forces, the National Disaster Operations Centre and the Kenya Red Cross. Excavators, breakers and sniffer dogs were being used as crews tried to reach spaces beneath the rubble. Earlier, police said a risk of a secondary collapse was complicating access because the damaged structure was leaning against a neighbouring building, The Associated Press reported.
Why the building’s status is under scrutiny
The structure was still being built when it fell, but the ground floor was reportedly in use. Sakaja told reporters the building did not have an occupation certificate, and that there was no temporary occupation certificate for the ground floor, The Star reported. That raises questions for the investigation about how the premises were being used while construction continued.
The certificate issue does not establish why the building collapsed or who, if anyone, was responsible. The cause remains unconfirmed, and authorities have said an investigation will follow. News reports have given different estimates of the building’s height, while officials have not confirmed how many people were inside.
What remains unknown
Police and county officials have not established how many people were in the building, whether anyone else has been rescued, or what structural or construction conditions led to the collapse. Initial reports from the scene described people feared trapped beneath the debris, but those accounts are not a verified casualty total. The Associated Press also reported that the cause was not immediately clear.
The incident happened in Eastleigh, a crowded trading area where access routes matter to both residents and rescue crews. Police asked onlookers to move back so emergency teams could work and reach the site. People in the immediate area should follow directions from responders and rely on updates from Nairobi County, the National Police Service and the Kenya Red Cross rather than unverified casualty claims circulating online.
What to watch next
The next reliable updates should clarify how many people were recovered, whether the neighbouring building is safe, and what investigators find about the site’s approvals and construction. Until officials complete those checks, the collapse’s cause and any responsibility remain unresolved.