Questions over approvals emerge after 18-storey building collapses in Nairobi and six rescued as search continues

Rescue teams are continuing to search through the remains of an 18-storey building that collapsed in Nairobi's Eastleigh district on Friday 23 October, with six people reported rescued alive while dozens remain unaccounted for.

The multi-storey structure, which was still under construction, collapsed at around 1pm local time along 9th Street in Eastleigh, leaving a dense mass of reinforced concrete slabs, columns and debris across the site. Around 67 construction workers were on site, most of whom reportedly escaped, but commercial premises operating from the ground floor and basement were also occupied, and those caught in the collapse were concentrated in those sections.

Early rescue operations recovered several survivors, including people who had spent many hours beneath the rubble. By Monday 26 October, the fourth day of the emergency response, authorities reported that six people had been rescued, two of them in later operations and taken to Kenyatta National Hospital in stable condition. Reports of missing people increased as families came forward, with the Kenya Red Cross recording 31 cases by 24 October and as many as 47 unaccounted for by the fourth day.

The collapse pattern has been described as resembling a pancake collapse, where successive floors fall onto those below them. Such a configuration creates an exceptionally difficult rescue environment because heavy concrete slabs can become stacked closely together while unstable debris remains above potential voids containing survivors. Removing material too aggressively can destabilise remaining sections, requiring rescuers to balance speed with controlled excavation and temporary support. Officials also warned of a possible second collapse, as the structure was left leaning against the neighbouring building.

The Kenya Defence Forces subsequently deployed specialised Urban Search and Rescue personnel, canine teams, heavy equipment and a Rapid Response Unit to reinforce the operation, and a specialised Chinese rescue team has since joined the multi-agency effort. Excavators and specialised machinery have also been supplied by the National Youth Service and Nairobi City County, while police, firefighters, the Kenya Red Cross, the National Disaster Management Unit, medical teams and other emergency organisations continue working at the site. Detection equipment deployed at the scene identified signs of life from two people shortly before midnight, with reports placing them in the building's basement.

Questions are now emerging over how an unfinished high-rise building came to be occupied and whether its construction had received the necessary approvals. Officials have said the building had no occupation certificate although its ground floor was in use, and Nairobi authorities have said an application for a multi-storey development at the site had not been approved. Representatives associated with the development have maintained that the project possessed the required documentation, while Kenya's National Construction Authority records show that the project had been registered, adding further complexity to the investigation.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has instructed investigators to examine the circumstances surrounding the collapse and determine whether actions or omissions by the developer, contractors, construction professionals or public officials contributed to the disaster. The Engineers Board of Kenya has also opened an investigation into the technical circumstances and the involvement of professionals associated with the project.

At this stage, no confirmed structural cause has been established. Determining why a building of this height suffered a near-total collapse will require examination of the structural design, construction sequence, materials, workmanship, temporary stability and any changes made during construction.

For the families waiting at the site, however, the immediate priority remains the search. The recovery of survivors after prolonged periods beneath the rubble has kept rescue operations focused on locating possible voids within the collapsed structure while crews cautiously dismantle the debris.