Nairobi City County has issued a statement following the collapse of a multi-storey building in South C on Friday, January 2, triggering a large-scale emergency response.
In a statement, the Southern Borough Manager, Dabasso Wario, said emergency and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the scene, with initial assessments indicating a severe structural failure.
"Early this morning, a fourteen floor multi-storey building collapsed at Plot No. 209/5909/10 located along Kiganjo Muhoho Avenue Junction, South C Ward, Lang'ata Sub County within the Southern Borough of Nairobi City County.
"Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) immediately deployed emergency and rescue response teams to the scene. Preliminary assessments confirm that the incident involved a pancake collapse of a 14-floor building," the statement read.
Authorities further revealed that two individuals are believed to be trapped beneath the debris, prompting a coordinated multi-agency rescue effort.
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"Two people are believed to be trapped within the debris. Emergency response and rescue operations are underway supported by equipment from Nairob City County, one excavator from the National Youth Service (NYS), the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Disaster Response Battalion, and the Nairobi Fire Brigade, who are jointly managing the operations," the statement added.
Additionally, t ensure coordination and efficiency, a command centre has been set up at the site as rescue and debris removal continue simultaneously.
"A command centre has been established, and debris removal is proceeding in parallel with the primary search phase," the statement revealed.
County officials also warned that a nearby building could be at risk due to the impact and vibrations caused by the collapse, with specialized monitoring equipment deployed to track any structural movement.
"An adjacent 14-floor building has been identified as a high-risk structure, with potential structural compromise resulting from vibrations and impact caused by the collapse. Theodolite and laser equipment have been deployed within the cold zone to continuously monitor the adjacent building for wall tilting, leaning columns, crack widening, floor sagging, vertical and horizontal angular deviations, alignment shifts, tilts, and ground subsidence as rescue operations continue," the statement continued.
Wario added that specialized Urban Search and Rescue teams remain on site and disclosed that the collapsed building had previously faced enforcement action.
"The Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team remains deployed with specialized tools and equipment to support ongoing search and rescue efforts. It is worth noting that the site has been subject to enforcement action by NCCG on varying dates in May, July and December 2025 over a number of infractions," the statement further read.
The county government said safety measures are being intensified in the surrounding area and promised further communication as investigations continue.
"Further updates will be issued as the situation evolves. The safety of the surrounding neighborhood is our second highest priority, because of the impact of the collapse, an adjacent 16-floor building is being closely monitored. Investigations into the cause of the collapse is currently underway," the statement concluded.
A pancake collapse is a form of structural failure in which a building’s floors fall vertically onto each other, layer by layer, much like a stack of pancakes.
It occurs when key load-bearing elements such as columns, beams, or structural walls fail.
Once one floor gives way, it drops onto the floor below, overloading it and triggering a rapid, progressive collapse through multiple levels.
Pancake collapses are often caused by structural design flaws, poor construction practices, use of substandard materials, unauthorized additional floors that overload the structure, foundation failure, or intense vibrations and impacts.
Elsewhere, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino expressed shock and sadness over the building collapse, noting the distress caused to Nairobi residents and the urgent response by emergency services.
In a statement, he described the timing of the incident as painful, arguing that it exposes long-standing governance failures in the county.
"We are deeply shocked and saddened by the collapse of the 16-storey building under construction in South C, Nairobi County, an incident that has left Nairobians in anguish and emergency teams scrambling for survivors. Emergency responders including the Kenya Red Cross, National Disaster Management Unit, National Police Service, as this message is issued.
"This tragedy, coming just days into the new year, is a painful reminder of the cost of weak oversight, poor enforcement, and suspected corruption in Nairobi City County," he said.
Owino went on to raise serious concerns about reports indicating that the building may have exceeded its approved design, alleging that the addition of extra floors was irregular and potentially enabled through corrupt practices.
"We note with grave concern reports suggesting that this structure was originally approved for 12 floors, and that unauthorised additional 4 floors were added, allegedly facilitated through bribes. These allegations point to institutional corruption, where life-safety standards are sacrificed for profit and political convenience," he claimed.
Owino outlined four clear demands, calling for investigations, suspensions of approvals, prosecutions, and stronger enforcement mechanisms to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
"We demand a full, transparent, independent investigation into the collapse, including all approvals and inspections carried out at county and national levels; immediate suspension of approvals for undocumented or suspicious developments until national safety audits and compliance checks are completed; accountability and prosecution of all those found to have enabled unsafe construction, whether public officials, private developers, or professionals in the built environment; and stronger enforcement mechanisms at Nairobi City County to ensure that every structure meets the highest safety standards, not just those with connections," he concluded.
