Rescuers recover one body from collapsed building

Rescue workers carry the body that was recovered from the rubble of the collapsed building in South C, Nairobi, on January 4, 2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

The body of a male adult was recovered on Sunday from the collapsed building in South C, Nairobi, as the search for a second victim entered the third day.

The body was recovered at about 12:30 pm. The recovery briefly halted the search to allow the body to be safely removed from the site before operations resumed.

Emergency responders drawn from the Nairobi County Government, the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU), the Kenya Red Cross, the police and other agencies have been stationed along Muhoho Avenue in South C since Friday morning, when the multi-storey building collapsed at about 4.30 am.

Confirming the recovery, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku said the victim was an adult male and formal identification procedures were underway in line with established protocols.

"The necessary procedures, including identification and further processing by the relevant authorities, are currently underway," said Ruku.

The CS noted that the operation was approximately 70 per cent complete, and teams were working day and night under the coordination of the NDMU.

“These remain very complex and high-risk operations involving unstable debris, heavy machinery and the need to safeguard both responders and the public. For these reasons, the operation may take some more reasonable time to conclude, and every step is being undertaken with caution," said Ruku.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who visited the scene for the first time since the incident occurred, acknowledged longstanding systemic challenges in enforcing building regulations, particularly after counties lost prosecutorial powers.

“Once a building gets statutory approval, which is the case with this building, enforcement becomes difficult when there are infractions. There were instances where charges were dropped or fines of Sh20,000 were issued. As counties, we are saying that prosecution powers need to be returned because our hands are tied," said Sakaja.

The governor maintained that the building had received proper approvals through the urban planning technical committee, which includes representatives from professional bodies such as the Architectural Association of Kenya and the Institution of Engineers of Kenya.

“The developer applied properly and the approval was issued. They had registered professionals an architect, an engineer and quantity surveyor, who all signed indemnities. The question is what happens after approval, when some developers drop professionals and start cutting corners," he said.

He said the county had, in 2023, written to professional bodies after noticing a trend where developers retained professionals only for approval, then removed them once construction began.

“We will push for prosecution. Somebody must pay. You can cheat the government, you can cheat agencies, but you cannot cheat the laws of physics,” said Sakaja.
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris called for strict construction oversight.

“We cannot have buildings that are marked with an X, condemned a year ago, still continuing. If this building had come down during the day, we would be talking about many more casualties. The greed to go higher did not pay, it caused losses and loss of life," said Passaris.

Marsabit Woman Representative Naomy Waqo called for due diligence before approvals are granted, citing the social cost of such disasters.

“Five years ago this place was not like this, but today you wake up and see a structure coming up. When a disaster like this happens, the investor has lost, buyers who paid have lost, families can never recover their loved ones, and children are left orphans," said Waqo.