Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has confirmed the collapse of a multi-storey housing unit in Kahawa West, which occurred on Sunday. The building, located on plot no. 233 along Station Road, consisted of a block of shops and flats, rising up to eight levels.
In a statement, Sakaja assured the public that all Nairobi County teams are actively engaged in disaster recovery efforts, focusing on evacuating occupants from adjacent buildings.
“Households had been evacuated last week following notice by the County Planning Department. Subsequent situation updates to follow,” he stated.
An enforcement notice released by the county indicated that the building was constructed without proper development approval and lacked an occupation certificate, categorizing it as a “dangerous building.” The notice confirmed that occupation of the structure was illegal and suggested serious regulatory lapses.
The incident triggered a search and rescue mission early Sunday morning, with police initially uncertain about any possible occupants trapped beneath the rubble.
Fortunately, local residents had detected troubling signs of structural weaknesses and had begun to mobilize evacuations in advance. Videos captured just before the collapse showed residents warning others to step back as the building crumbled amid chaos and screams.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei noted that while an evacuation had occurred and many residents had already left the premises, it remained unclear if anyone was still inside. He confirmed that multi-agency teams were deployed to the site to aid in searching for potential victims.
Amid ongoing investigations, concerns have also been raised about the fate of two construction workers reportedly engaged by the building’s owner, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
