A multi-storey building under construction along 9th Street in Eastleigh, Nairobi, collapsed on Friday 23 October 2026. Rescue operations entered their third day on Sunday with four people confirmed rescued and receiving hospital treatment.
Police and Kenya Red Cross teams recovered the four survivors from the rubble. All 67 construction workers on site at the time of the collapse have been accounted for, with 66 escaping uninjured and one treated for minor injuries. Authorities initially reported seven people missing from shops that occupied the ground floor and basement. Later updates indicated higher numbers of missing persons reports as families continued searching.
The building had reached approximately 18 storeys. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja stated that the county had approved a change of use for the plot from residential to mixed residential-commercial in October 2024 but never granted development approval for the construction itself. He named John Mutia Musyoki as the developer on record and said architectural plans submitted later were not approved. The National Construction Authority listed 9th Street Plaza Limited as the developer and Stromax Holdings E.A. Limited as the contractor.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino publicly released a document he said showed county approval dated 13 February 2024 for a development of 35 residential units, a restaurant, mosque and shops on the same plot. He accused the governor of misleading the public and alleged a KSh 120 million bribe. Sakaja dismissed the document as fake, stating the application dates did not match and that change-of-use approval is distinct from construction approval. He threatened legal action against the MP over the claims.
Sakaja has said the county previously took enforcement action against the site, including arrests, but that prosecutions have stalled. He noted more than 200 construction-related files remain pending at the Director of Public Prosecutions. The South C building collapse earlier in 2026, which killed two people, led to the ODPP approving charges against 37 individuals, including county officials, for offences including manslaughter, abuse of office and neglect of duty. No similar charges have yet been announced in the Eastleigh case.
Multi-agency teams including KDF, police, Red Cross and county personnel continue searching the site. Families have been directed to a tracing desk or the Red Cross line 1199. Investigations into the cause of the collapse and the approval process remain ongoing.