Two people are feared trapped after a 16-storey building under construction collapsed along Muhoho Road in Nairobi’s South C area.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, the incident occurred early in the morning, leaving two workers trapped in the area.
“The area has been cordoned off as the National Disaster Management Unit, Nairobi City County, the National Police Service and the Kenya Red Cross continue search and rescue operations,” Kenya Red Cross stated.
Eyewitnesses at the scene criticized the slow response, saying that earlier intervention could have increased the chances of survival for those trapped.
“Those who were working here are still inside. We don’t know if they are alive or have passed away. Since around 4:00 am, when the building collapsed, no responders arrived with the proper equipment to remove the debris and save their lives,” one witness stated.
By the time help came, we suspect it’s too late. The disaster department should be prepared with the right equipment so they can save lives.”
Lang’ata MP Felix Odiwuor (Jalang’o) condemned the incident, accusing developers of colluding with corrupt construction authorities and exploiting political connections to bypass safety regulations.
” I’ve written more than 43 letters to the county government requesting information about some buildings that have been suspicious or do not have approval, but there has not been any response. Buildings are going on, some are questionable, any time you ask, they tell you they know the who’s who in the government,” Jalang’o said.
“This is one of the buildings raised by the South C Residents’ Association.”
He criticized the rapid pace of private high-rise developments, some completed in just over a year, compared to the slower progress of government housing projects, which typically take two years, calling the situation alarming and indicative of systemic failure
He called on all ongoing construction projects to halt for further evaluation to be carried out by a multi-agency team.
“We’re requesting every single construction going on in South C to stop so that a new evaluation can be done through the National Construction Authority with approval from the County. We need a multi-agency approval before anything goes on.”
The collapsed building stood next to other structures that are also under construction.
Nairobi police commander George Seda said multi-agency teams were deployed to the site to search for possible casualties.
