Number of Kenyans trapped in collapsed South C building revised to four

Emergency rescue operations are ongoing following the collapse of a building in Nairobi, with authorities confirming that at least four suspected Kenyans are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku said rescue teams were working against time to reach the victims, who include security personnel and pedestrians caught up in the incident.

“We also want to inform Kenyans that we have four suspected Kenyans who are trapped in this rubble at this moment and all the emergency teams are putting efforts to rescue the four who are trapped in the building,” Ruku said while addressing the media at the scene.

He explained that preliminary information indicated that two of the trapped individuals are watchmen who were on duty at the building, while the other two are pedestrians who were travelling in a taxi when the structure collapsed.

“We have two watchmen and the relatives are with us here, and also we have two pedestrians who were in a taxi,” Ruku said.

According to the Cabinet Secretary, details about the pedestrians were obtained from the taxi driver, who survived the incident and is currently receiving treatment at Mbagathi Hospital.

Rescue teams, including police, firefighters and medical personnel, continue to comb through the debris as anxious relatives await updates on the fate of their loved ones.

Nairobi City County earlier on 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