A collapsed South C building in Nairobi
A building under construction collapsed in the early hours of the morning, reducing months of work into a heap of concrete and twisted metal. The incident occurred at around 4:30 a.m., with four people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
Speaking at the scene, Special Programmes Minister Geoffrey Ruku confirmed that a multi-agency rescue operation was underway, involving the police, the military, disaster response teams and humanitarian organisations, all working to save the trapped victims.
Families of those affected remained at the site throughout the day, anxiously waiting as heavy machinery cleared the debris. Some raised concerns over the slow pace of the rescue operation, claims that Minister Ruku defended, citing the need for caution to avoid further loss of life.
The government said that while saving lives remains the top priority, investigations into the cause of the collapse have already begun. Official records show the building had been approved for only 12 floors, yet construction had reached the 14th floor at the time of the collapse.
It has also emerged that the Nairobi County Government had issued a stop-work order on the project several months earlier. Questions have since been raised about how construction continued barely 100 metres from county offices without enforcement.
Investigators have taken samples of steel and other construction materials to assess whether they met required safety standards. Although experts say nearby buildings are not at risk, authorities have restricted public access to them as a precaution.
As rescue efforts continue, the incident has reignited a national debate on defective construction, weak enforcement of regulations and disregard of stop-work orders in the building sector.