Panic and shock gripped the clothing district of Nairobi on FRiday afternoon after the 16-storey building undersconstruction collapsed.
Emergency responders at the scene of the Eastleigh building collapse in Nairobi on October 23, 2026. Photo Kenya Red Cross Seven people were reported missing after a multi-storey building under construction collapsed in Eastleigh, Nairobi, with rescue teams continuing to search the rubble for those who may be trapped.
The building collapsed on 9th Street in Eastleigh, within Kamukunji Sub-County, on Friday afternoon, with chaos and confusion marring the start of the rescue operation.
In a statement late last night, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said 67 construction workers were at the site when the building collapsed.
According to the CS, all had been accounted for, with 66 escaping uninjured and one sustaining injuries.
An oblique view of a building that collapsed along Yusuf Haji Avenue, next to Day to Day Supermarket in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on October 23, 2026. Photo Handout “Sixty-six escaped uninjured, while one sustained injuries and is in stable condition in hospital,” Murkomen stated on October 23.
Murkomen revealed the building, which is said to have had no occupation certificate, had 11 shops on the ground floor, and the basement was also occupied at the time of the collapse.
The Interior CS confirmed that seven people thought to have been part of those operating within the building were reported missing.
“The rescue team has made contact with some of them, and efforts are underway to rescue those trapped in the rubble,” Murkomen said.
The Kenya Red Cross had earlier reported that two injured people had been taken to Kenyatta National Hospital as search and rescue operations continued.
The Red Cross also said 26 people previously reported missing had been traced and accounted for.
It did not specify whether the update referred to the seven people cited in Murkomen's earlier statement.
The National Construction Authority (NCA) said the site had been cordoned off, with a multi-agency team coordinating rescue operations and conducting preliminary investigations into the collapse.
The team includes the Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Nairobi City County Government, National Youth Service, Kenya Red Cross and other government agencies.
According to the NCA, the building was registered with the authority on July 30, 2025, and the authority said it had identified the registered developer and contractor.
