Four people sustained injuries, one of them critical, after a building that formerly housed Club Avenida collapsed during a nighttime demolition along Moi Avenue in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD).
The incident happened near MKU Union Towers, opposite Mageso Chambers, where the Magereza DT Sacco headquarters are located. Workers were reportedly bringing down the structure to clear the site for a new development when the building suddenly gave way.
Preliminary reports suggest that workers cut supporting metal beams on the less stable side of the structure, possibly triggering the collapse. However, investigators had not established the exact cause by the time of publication.
Police officers and emergency response teams arrived at the scene and began rescue operations following reports that several people were trapped beneath the rubble.
Witnesses estimated that about 25 people were inside the building when it collapsed. By around 1am, authorities had reportedly accounted for all 25 people, although rescuers continued searching for a man believed to remain trapped under the debris.
An official from the National Disaster Management Unit confirmed that four injured people had been taken to hospital for treatment. Three were in stable condition, while the fourth remained in critical condition.
The collapse triggered public anger and renewed concerns about safety standards during demolition work in Nairobi. Social media users called on Governor Johnson Sakaja and the Nairobi County Government to explain what happened and ensure those responsible, faced accountability.
Following a visit to the scene, Geoffrey Mosiria, Nairobi County Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service, called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
“I call upon our county engineers to conduct a thorough investigation into this specific demolition to establish the cause of the collapse, determine whether qualified experts were involved to guide the demolition, and verify whether all the necessary demolition approvals had been obtained,” Mosiria wrote in a statement.
Mosiria also urged developers to follow existing safety regulations and consult county engineers before undertaking construction or demolition projects.
He stressed the importance of involving qualified professionals and obtaining the necessary approvals to protect workers, pedestrians and other members of the public.
The investigation is expected to establish whether the demolition followed the required procedures, whether qualified experts supervised the exercise and whether the necessary permits were in place.