Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja provided an update on the collapse of a building in Kahawa West on Sunday. He confirmed that the incident occurred at plot no. 233 along Station Road in Kahawa West.
“All Nairobi County teams are currently fully involved in disaster recovery and evacuating residents from nearby buildings,” Sakaja said. He added, “Households were evacuated last week following a notice issued by the County Planning Department. Further updates on the situation will follow.”
An enforcement notice seen by *The Star* revealed that the collapsed structure consisted of a block of shops and eight levels of flats. The building had reportedly been constructed without the necessary development approvals, and it lacked both a development permit and an occupancy certificate from Nairobi City County. “This was a dangerous building,” the notice stated.
Search and rescue efforts were initiated on Sunday morning after the collapse of the multi-storey building. Police reported uncertainty about whether anyone remained trapped under the rubble. Residents, who had detected weaknesses in the structure, had mobilized an evacuation prior to the collapse. Videos taken by residents captured the moment the seven-storey building tumbled down, with warnings shouted to those nearby before the structure crumbled amid screams.
Nairobi police chief Adamson Bungei said, “The residents had been evacuated from the building. We’re not sure if there were people still inside, but we know there was an evacuation that took place as they knew the building was unstable.” He confirmed that teams had been deployed to search for and rescue any potential victims. It is feared that two workers, who were reportedly hired by the building’s owner, may be missing, with further investigations underway.
