South C building collapse: MCA calls for investigation and safety review

South C MCA Abas Khalif has described the collapse of a 16-storey building in the Nairobi estate as a tragedy and said investigations are underway to establish what led to the incident.

In a statement issued after the collapse, Khalif said the incident had caused “loss of life and property” and conveyed his condolences to those affected.

“My heart goes out to the victims and their families during this difficult time,” he said.

Khalif said he had directed that investigations be conducted to determine the cause of the collapse.

“We sympathise with the victims and their families, and commit to ensuring accountability and justice,” he said.

He also said measures were being considered to reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future.

“To prevent such tragedies, we will review all approved plans in South C and strengthen building safety regulations,” Khalif said.

County officials said they had sent a team to the ground for assessment and will issue a comprehensive statement later on.

The building collapsed on Friday, January 2.

In a statement, the Kenya Red Cross said the building collapsed early this morning in the South C Shopping Centre area, Nairobi County.

"A multi-agency emergency response team had been deployed to the scene and was actively managing the situation," Kenya Red Cross said in a post on X.

"The area has been cordoned off as the National Disaster Management Unit, Nairobi City County, the National Police Service and the Kenya Red Cross continue search and rescue operations."

Officers who responded to the scene said the security guards on duty had not been located, and efforts to account for them were ongoing.

The collapsed building stood next to other structures that are also under construction.

Nairobi police commander George Seda said multi-agency teams were deployed to the site to search for possible casualties.

A security guard in the area told police he heard a loud bang and saw dust, only to realise the building had collapsed.

He and others rushed to the scene and assisted in rescuing the injured man.

In a later update, the Nairobi County Government said it immediately deployed emergency and rescue response teams to the scene following the incident.

The county said preliminary assessments indicated the collapse involved a multi-storey building, with two people believed to be trapped in the debris.

“Emergency response and rescue operations are ongoing, supported by equipment from Nairobi City County, the National Youth Service (NYS), the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Disaster Response Battalion and the Nairobi Fire Brigade,” the statement said.

A command centre has been established at the site, with debris removal proceeding alongside search and rescue efforts.

The county further said an adjacent building under construction had been identified as high-risk due to possible structural compromise caused by vibrations and impact from the collapse. Monitoring equipment has been deployed to assess any movement or instability as rescue operations continue.

The county added that electricity and water utilities are present at the site and that all relevant agencies have been notified and activated. The Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team remains deployed with specialised equipment to support ongoing operations.