Seven people have been reported missing following the collapse of a multi-storey building under construction in Eastleigh, Nairobi, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said.
Murkomen said a multi-agency team was conducting search and rescue operations at the site, with efforts underway to reach people trapped in the rubble.
In an update issued on Friday evening, Murkomen said 67 construction workers were at the site when the building collapsed. All had been accounted for, with 66 escaping uninjured and one sustaining injuries.
The injured worker was in stable condition in hospital.
"Eleven shops on the ground floor and in the basement were occupied at the time of the collapse," Murkomen said.
"The rescue team had made contact with some of the seven people reported missing, as efforts continued to rescue those trapped in the rubble."
The operation involved the Kenya Defence Forces, National Police Service, Nairobi City County Government, National Youth Service, Kenya Red Cross and other government agencies.
Murkomen urged people whose loved ones were missing to report to the Kenya Red Cross through its emergency response number, 1199.
He said the government was providing the rescue team with the support needed to expedite the operation.
Support, including psychosocial assistance, was also being arranged for affected individuals and families.
Murkomen said the cause of the collapse would be investigated by relevant national and county government agencies in collaboration with professional bodies.
He added that those found responsible would be held accountable.
The collapse renewed questions about construction safety and the enforcement of regulations governing building projects in Nairobi, particularly in densely populated neighbourhoods.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who visited the scene following the incident, said the building had not complied with construction guidelines.
He pledged legal action against those responsible as investigations seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
