A new construction disaster has struck the Kenyan capital. On Friday, a multi-story building under construction collapsed in the South C district of Nairobi. According to local authorities, at least four people are currently trapped under the rubble.

Families caught between distress and anger

Anxiety is palpable at the scene of the disaster. Safia Ali Aden, whose brother is trapped in the rubble, was able to speak with him briefly by telephone. She strongly criticizes the slow response:

"My brother has been trapped since yesterday afternoon. The county rescue services are acting too slowly. We are terrified and need the operations to speed up to get him out of there."

Research summary

According to details provided by Geoffrey Ruku , Minister of Public Works, the search is focused on four specific profiles:

1. Two security guards (building guards).
2. Two pedestrians who were passing nearby at the time the building collapsed.

The minister specified that a taxi driver, who witnessed the scene, saw the two passers-by being buried alive, while his own vehicle, parked nearby, was fortunately empty.

A recurring scourge in Nairobi

While the exact causes of this collapse have not yet been officially established, this tragedy has once again highlighted the chronic housing insecurity in Kenya. The high demand for housing leads some developers to disregard basic safety regulations.

The figures from the National Building Authority are alarming: 58% of buildings in Nairobi are deemed unfit for habitation . Despite a national audit ordered by the presidency in 2015—following a series of collapses that claimed 15 lives—illegal construction sites and violations of building codes continue to threaten citizens' lives.