The building that collapsed in Tom Mboya, Kisumu. Faith Matete 
The building that collapsed in Tom Mboya, Kisumu. / Kisumu./Faith Matete
A late-night rescue mission in Kisumu ended in relief after emergency teams pulled a man alive from the rubble of a collapsed four-storey building under construction at Tom Mboya Estate.
The building came crashing down on Monday at around 8 p.m., sparking panic in the area and triggering a swift multi-agency response led by the Kisumu County government.
According to Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o, the county’s Emergency Operations Centre received a distress call at 8:06 p.m., setting off an urgent rescue operation.
Within 20 minutes, fire engines and ambulances from Kisumu County Referral Hospital, Avenue Hospital and Lisa Hospital had arrived at the scene alongside the Kenya Red Cross.
Inspectorate officers, rescue teams and officials from the City Planning Department joined the overnight operation as responders searched through the debris for possible survivors.
An excavator was later brought in to clear access routes after emergency crews discovered there was no direct path to the collapsed structure.
Initial reports had suggested that several people could have been trapped inside the building, forcing rescuers to intensify the search through the night.
However, authorities later confirmed that only one person had been trapped beneath the rubble.
“The victim was successfully rescued at around 3 a.m. after hours of careful excavation and rescue efforts,” Nyong’o said.
The man suffered crush injuries but was stabilised at the scene before being rushed to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital for specialised treatment.
Nyong’o expressed relief that no lives were lost in the incident and praised the speed, professionalism and coordination shown by the emergency response teams.
Investigations into the cause of the collapse have since been launched, with preliminary findings pointing to possible structural failure linked to non-compliance with building regulations.
The governor said technical assessments are ongoing and a comprehensive report will be released once investigations are complete.
