The search and rescue team managed to retrieve a body from the collapsed South C building in Nairobi in the third day of the search.
Officials said they hoped to find a second body.
The recovery was made on Sunday at the scene where a 14 storey building collapsed on Friday morning.
The body was recovered at about 1.30 pm on Sunday, January 4, as rescue teams pressed on with the operation.
Speaking to the press earlier in the day, Assistant Inspector General of Police Dr Duncan Ochieng who is the operations commander, said the search operation was about 65 per cent complete.
Police said their investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Among those so far grilled include the developer and county officials.
The developers told police the house had been sold to potential buyers.
Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku said Saturday said the building collapse happened at around 4.05am on January 2, 2026, at the South C Shopping Centre area.
He said immediately after receiving the report, a multi-agency emergency response under the leadership of the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) was activated.
Ruku said that NDMU Director Ochieng is serving as the Incident Commander, with a fully operational Incident Command System already in place at the scene.
Ruku noted that the government response is focused on four key objectives which include ensuring the safety of first responders and the public, conducting search and rescue operations for suspected victims, opening blocked roads and restoring normalcy around South C Shopping Centre, and carrying out debris clearance once rescue priorities allow.
He also cautioned against speculative information stating that the collapsed structure is a 14-storey building with a basement parking that suffered a complete pancake-type collapse.
He said the cause of the collapse has not yet been established and that investigations have been launched by a multi-sectoral team comprising agencies including the National Police Service, National Construction Authority, National Building Inspectorate, Engineers Board of Kenya, BORAQS, NEMA and Nairobi City County Government, among others.
“Any person or group of people found culpable will be held fully accountable in accordance with the laws of Kenya,” he stated.
Ruku commended emergency responders drawn from the National Police Service, Kenya Defence Forces Disaster Response Battalion, Nairobi City County, National Youth Service, Kenya Red Cross, St John Ambulance and other agencies.
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