Omanghana
Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds and suspected looters after a high-rise building under construction collapsed in Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighbourhood on Friday, October 23, 2026.
The building came down around 1 p.m. near First Avenue and Ninth Street, leaving a large pile of concrete and debris in the busy commercial area. Crowds gathered as emergency teams attempted to reach people feared trapped beneath the wreckage.
Police said blocked roads and looting at neighbouring shops complicated the response. Officers used tear gas to clear access for rescuers and heavy equipment.
The search continued into Saturday, when a man was pulled from the rubble and taken to hospital. Rescue teams deployed sniffer dogs and thermal sensors to locate survivors.
The number of missing people remained uncertain. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen initially reported seven, while the Kenya Red Cross recorded 31 missing-person reports that were still being verified. Those reports did not establish how many people remained trapped, as some workers may have left before the collapse.
Accounts also differed on the building’s height. Reuters described it as a 12-storey structure, while police said more than 10 upper floors were under construction. Authorities confirmed that the ground floor was occupied when the building collapsed.
The disaster has renewed scrutiny of construction oversight in Nairobi. Governor Johnson Sakaja said the building lacked an occupancy certificate, raising questions about businesses operating inside the unfinished property.
Police pledged to investigate the circumstances and pursue anyone found responsible for negligence. The cause of the collapse had not been established as rescue efforts continued.
Source: Omanghana
