Six people have so far been rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Eastleigh, Nairobi, as emergency responders intensify efforts to locate those still feared trapped beneath the debris.
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) said on Monday, October 26, that two additional survivors had been rescued during subsequent operations and taken to Kenyatta National Hospital in stable condition for treatment and monitoring.
KDF deployed specialised Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams, a Kenya Air Force Rapid Response Unit and canine units to support the operation.
“The joint rescue efforts have so far resulted in the recovery of six survivors, including two rescued during subsequent operations,” the military said.
KDF Central Command Chief Major General William Kamoiro visited the scene to assess the rescue operation, meet emergency responders and offer support to affected families.
Chinese rescue specialists have also joined the operation, bringing additional equipment and expertise to help locate people trapped inside the building.
Kamukunji MP Yussuf Hassan said the Chinese non-profit emergency response organisation, Blue Sky Rescue, had deployed a specialised team to assist local responders.
Addressing members of the public after visiting the scene, Hassan said the team had detected two people alive in the building’s basement, raising hopes of further rescues.
“This afternoon a Chinese search-and-rescue team, Blue Sky Rescue (USAR), joined the effort with specialised equipment. They have already detected two people alive in the basement of the building,” Hassan said.
Blue Sky Rescue specialises in disaster response, including locating and rescuing people trapped in collapsed buildings, earthquakes and floods.
Separately, China’s Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) has provided heavy machinery to support the rescue operation.
William Sifuna Watitwa, a staff officer for the Nairobi North sub-region, said the company had supplied an excavator and a 25-tonne crane to help clear debris and improve access to areas where survivors could be trapped.
According to Watitwa, the excavator played a key role in rescuing two people trapped beneath the rubble on Saturday, while the crane was being used to lift heavy debris and concrete slabs.
Fredrick Nyasani, an administrator at XCMG’s Kenya office, said the company mobilised the machinery immediately after learning about the collapse.
The excavator and crane are being used together to remove rubble and lift concrete slabs, allowing rescue teams to reach areas that would otherwise be difficult to access.
Government officials previously reported that five people remained missing and four others were hospitalised. The latest casualty figures were not immediately available, and the status of those reported missing remained unclear.
Questions over building approvals
The building, which was still under construction, collapsed on Friday, October 23, triggering a major emergency response in the densely populated commercial and residential neighbourhood.
Families have since been seeking information about relatives who may have been inside the structure when it came down.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja raised questions about the building’s approvals, saying the county had authorised a change of use from residential to commercial-cum-residential in October 2024 but had not approved the architectural plans for the development.
Sakaja also questioned how shops had been allowed to operate on the ground floor despite reports that the building did not have an occupation certificate.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse, including the possible roles of county officials and the contractor.
The investigation is expected to examine the approvals granted for the development and whether applicable construction and safety requirements were observed.
The incident has renewed concerns over building safety in Kenya, where previous structural collapses have raised questions about regulatory enforcement, construction standards and the frequency of inspections.
Rescue teams continue to work at the scene as authorities seek to establish whether more people remain trapped beneath the debris.
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