City Hall: Collapsed South C building had been flagged months earlier over multiple infractions

Nairobi City County has revealed that the 14-storey building that collapsed in South C on Friday had been flagged repeatedly by county enforcement teams months before the tragedy, raising serious concerns about regulatory compliance and oversight within the construction sector.

Documents from the county’s Urban Planning Department show that several arrests were made at the site in May 2025, July 2025 and on December 8, 2025, during enforcement operations prompted by suspected failure to comply with approved construction standards and regulations.

According to a situation report issued by City Hall, the building located at Plot No. 209/5909/10 along Kiganjo Muhoho Avenue in South C Ward had been subjected to enforcement action on multiple occasions in May, July and December 2025 over what authorities described as “a number of infractions.”

Despite these interventions, construction activity continued until the structure suffered a catastrophic pancake collapse in the early hours of January 2, 2026, with at least two people believed to be trapped beneath the debris.

The Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) said it immediately deployed emergency response and rescue teams to the scene, supported by the National Youth Service (NYS), the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Disaster Response Battalion, and the Nairobi Fire Brigade.

A command centre was established as debris removal and search-and-rescue operations proceeded simultaneously.

City Hall further disclosed that an adjacent 16-storey building has been declared a high-risk structure due to potential structural compromise caused by vibrations and impact from the collapse.

Specialised monitoring equipment, including theodolite and laser instruments, has been deployed to continuously assess any movement, cracking, tilting, or ground subsidence as rescue operations continue.

Investigations into the cause of the collapse are ongoing, with county officials indicating that earlier enforcement actions and the nature of the cited infractions will form a central part of the probe.

Authorities say further updates will be issued as rescue efforts progress and accountability processes take shape.

In a statement on Friday, the National Construction Authority (NCA) Executive Director Maurice Akech said the collapsed building was non-compliant.

"The project was registered by the authority on November 8, 2023, and at the time of the collapse was non-compliant," Akech said.

"At the time of issuing the statement, search and rescue operations and site securing activities were ongoing in coordination with relevant emergency and security agencies."

NCA said a comprehensive report will be issued at the conclusion of the investigation.