Rescue teams retrieved one body from the rubble of a collapsed 16-storey building in Nairobi’s South C on Sunday afternoon, marking a grim milestone as operations entered their third day. The discovery confirms fears that victims remained trapped beneath the debris of the structure, which authorities say had violated construction approvals.
The collapse has reignited scrutiny over Nairobi’s construction safety standards. Preliminary reports from the National Construction Authority (NCA) indicate the developer, identified as Abyan Consulting Limited, had received approval for a 12-storey structure but proceeded to build up to 14 or 16 floors. This blatant disregard for zoning and structural limits mirrors a recurring issue in the capital; a landmark audit by the NCA previously found that nearly 58% of buildings in Nairobi were unfit for habitation, often due to poor workmanship and the use of substandard materials.
The retrieval operation, led by a multi-agency team comprising the Kenya Red Cross, the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU), and the Kenya Defence Forces, made the discovery at approximately 2:00 PM on Sunday. Rescuers had been working around the clock since the building, located along Muhoho Avenue near the South C Shopping Centre, crumbled in a “pancake” collapse early Friday morning. The body was carefully extracted and transferred to a police vehicle, momentarily halting the heavy machinery digging through the twisted metal and concrete.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, who visited the site, confirmed that the government is now focused on locating the second missing individual, believed to be another security guard. “The incident management team is working day and night, deploying specialized skills and equipment,” Ruku stated, emphasizing that the golden window for rescue is narrowing. He noted that the initial confusion regarding the number of trapped persons was clarified after contacting the families of the guards and reviewing site records.
Structural integrity concerns have extended beyond the immediate rubble. The NDMU has raised alarms about the stability of an adjacent building, fearing that the ground disturbance caused by the collapse could trigger a secondary disaster. Residents in the neighboring plot have been urged to exercise extreme caution while engineers from the NCA conduct stability assessments. The area remains cordoned off to the public to facilitate the movement of excavators and emergency vehicles.
As the dust settles, accountability has become the central theme of the tragedy. Nairobi City County officials revealed that the development had been flagged multiple times for infractions, with enforcement notices issued as recently as August 2025. Despite these warnings, construction continued unabated until the catastrophic failure.
Operations Commander Dr. Duncan Ochieng assured the public that the search would continue until the final missing person is accounted for, while police have launched a manhunt for the developers who remain at large.
