Six days on, 16 people remain missing in Eastleigh building tragedy

A multi-agency rescue team at the scene of the collapsed building in Eastleigh, Nairobi. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

Rescue operations at the site of the collapsed building in Eastleigh, Nairobi, entered the sixth day with the number of people still unaccounted for dropping to 16 from 20 following verification by the Kenya Red Cross and the DCI.

Nairobi North County Commissioner Simon Osumba said that of the 16 outstanding cases, phone location data places nine individuals last communication near the building that collapsed on Friday afternoon.

He further revealed that four of the cases are still waiting for further information, while three families are yet to provide the missing persons phone numbers to facilitate tracing.

Meanwhile, businesses across the road from the collapsed site have been allowed to resume operations after remaining closed for more than five days.

According to Osumba the decision the decision follows a request by the area MP Yusuf Hassan who had appealed to authorities to allow traders to reopen their businesses in areas that does not interfere with operations.

He, however, said access to the site remains restricted to prevent members of the public from interfering with the ongoing rescue operations.

He assured residents that security measures had been put in place to protect the areas as emergency teams continue with their work.

National Disaster Management Unit Director Duncan Ochieng said specialised acoustic life detection equipment deployed at the building detected signs of life, although rescuers continue to face challenges accessing the areas.

Dr Ochieng cautioned that detection of life does not necessarily mean rescuers can immediately reach those trapped citing the complex nature of the collapse and the need to prioritize the safety of emergency responders.

He described the incident as unprecedented in Kenya, noting that the collapse of the building in a confined area had significantly hampered rescue operations, adding that the restricted access forces the rescue teams to operate from one side instead of maneuvering from all four sides.

Architect Yassin Munyanya, Treasurer of the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), called for accountability and stricter enforcement of building regulations when they visited the collapsed building with the team from the association, saying the tragedy should never be allowed to happen again.

He expressed deep sorrow over the incident and commended emergency response teams for their swift response. “This is such a heartbreaking scene. This is nothing that should happen to anyone in any country,” Munyanya said, stressing the need for urgent action to prevent similar tragedies.

Addressing concerns about what might have caused the collapse, Munyanya said the architectural drawings he had reviewed appeared to be standard. However, he pointed out the manner of building collapse was an indication of structural failure, although the precise cause would require a proper technical investigation.

The absence of structural drawings, he explained, raised questions about whether the construction had followed an engineer's approved design or whether the appropriate structural documentation was available and being used on site.

Munyanya said investigators and professionals needed to establish whether the failure resulted from structural design issues, poor implementation of approved plans or construction work that deviated from the original designs.

He cautioned against drawing final conclusions before all the facts were established, while emphasizing the importance of examining the construction process and the documents that guided the project.

Munyanya said the Architectural Association of Kenya is ready to work with relevant authorities and other professionals to help establish what went wrong and prevent a recurrence. He said one of the association's priorities was to sensitize its members on the importance of following established procedures, noting that professionals were generally aware of the requirements but that compliance remained a significant challenge.

He emphasized that the country’s continued development and growing construction sector must go hand in hand with public safety, professional responsibility and strict adherence to building regulations, adding that the tragedy should serve as a turning point in how construction projects are approved, monitored and supervised.