A construction worker who was on site when a perimeter wall came down along Riverside Drive in Nairobi has given a chilling first-hand account of how the disaster unfolded, as rescue teams continued to search for missing colleagues on November 14, 2026.
Kevin Amadi told NTV Kenya that the morning began like any other shift. A supervisor had gathered the young workers and outlined the day’s tasks, promising to provide lunch as motivation to work harder in the job. The crew responded with energy, throwing themselves into the work.
How the Wall Came Down
Amadi described how the construction crew was building a stone wall, laying heavy rocks and mixing concrete as part of the ongoing works. As the wall grew taller, the pressure on the structure increased.
The workers applied concrete, waited for sections to set, then continued adding layers of stone. The cycle repeated until the strain became too much and the structure gave way, sending the wall crashing down without warning onto the workers below.
Three people died in the collapse, and 11 others sustained serious injuries, according to Nairobi County Chief Officer for Disaster Management and Coordination, Bramwell Simiyu.
Even more alarming, 11 additional workers remained unaccounted for as of the time of reporting, with emergency response teams conducting active search and rescue operations across the site.
Search and Rescue Ongoing
Simiyu confirmed that emergency teams were working to establish the whereabouts of the missing workers, with debris still covering parts of the construction area.
Rescue personnel, visible in footage from the scene, worked through the rubble as onlookers gathered near the collapsed earthen wall.
Amadi’s account offers a rare worker’s perspective on a site disaster that claimed lives and left families waiting for news of loved ones still unaccounted for beneath the wreckage.
