The Nairobi City County said the collapsed building had previously been subjected to enforcement action by officials on several occasions in May, July, and December 2025 due to multiple infractions.
In a statement, Southern Borough Manager Dabasso Wario noted investigations into the cause of the collapse are currently underway as rescue efforts continue.
A fourteen-floor multi-storey building collapsed early Thursday morning in South C, Lang’ata Sub-County, triggering a large-scale emergency response by county and national agencies.
The incident occurred along Kiganjo Muhoho Avenue Junction within Nairobi City County’s Southern Borough.
Preliminary assessments by emergency officials indicate the structure suffered a pancake collapse, in which floors collapse vertically onto one another.
Authorities believe at least two people may be trapped beneath the debris, with search and rescue operations currently underway.
Rescue efforts are being jointly coordinated by NCCG, the National Youth Service (NYS), the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Disaster Response Battalion, and the Nairobi Fire Brigade.
Heavy machinery and specialized equipment have been mobilized to aid debris removal and locate possible survivors.
A command centre has been established at the site to coordinate operations, with debris clearance proceeding alongside the primary search phase.
Officials confirmed that electricity and water utilities are present at the scene, prompting heightened safety measures during rescue operations.
Concerns have also been raised over the safety of an adjacent 16-floor building, which has been classified as a high-risk structure due to potential structural compromise caused by vibrations and impact from the collapse.
Monitoring teams were deployed theodolite and laser equipment within the cold zone to continuously assess wall tilting, leaning columns, crack widening, floor sagging, alignment shifts, angular deviations and possible ground subsidence.
The Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team remains on site with specialized tools to support ongoing operations.
The National Construction Authority (NCA) said the collapsed was a proposed mixed-use development that was non-compliant at the time of the incident.
The Authority said the building was located on Muhoho Avenue, Plot Number 68/1306, South C Ward.
The project was registered with the NCA on November 8, 2023, but had failed to meet compliance requirements by the time it collapsed.
According to the NCA, the developer on record is Abyan Consulting Limited, which also served as the contractor under registration number 77721/B/0923.
The contractor is registered under the NCA 4 category for building works.
Records show that the company’s sole director is Yussuf Mohamed Yussuf.
The consultants listed for the project include Architect Gideon Chege Mwangi (A2010), Engineer Peter Kimani Kireru (A3687), and Quantity Surveyor James Kirika Njoroge (Q1126).
Preliminary assessments by emergency teams indicated a pancake collapse of the fourteen-floor structure.
Authorities believe at least two people may be trapped under the debris.
NCA Executive Director and Registrar of Contractors Maurice Akech said emergency response teams were immediately deployed upon receipt of the incident report. He noted that search-and-rescue operations and site securing activities were ongoing in coordination with emergency and security agencies.
“A comprehensive report will be issued at the conclusion of the investigation,” Akech said, adding that the Authority remains committed to safeguarding public safety, enforcing accountability within the construction industry, and upholding professional and compliance standards nationwide.
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