Building collapses in Kenyan capital, rescuers on the scene

A multi-storey building collapsed mid-construction in the Kenyan capital on Friday, the Red Cross said, with reports from local media of casualties and looting at the site.

Videos spreading online showed a dramatic crash and huge clouds of dust as the building — thought to have been around 18 storeys high — came down in a densely populated business and residential area of Eastleigh.

Personnel from the Kenya Defence Forces Disaster Response Battalion inspected the rubble of a collapsed residential building that was still under construction in the Eastleigh neighbourhood of Nairobi on October 23, 2026.

Local media reported looting and possible casualties trapped beneath the rubble, with images showing large crowds gathered at the scene.

Nairobi is undergoing a rapid construction boom, with high-rise buildings appearing all over the city, particularly in Eastleigh which is known for its busy market areas and as a hub for the Somali community.

There have been many concerns over safety.

There were 86 building collapses between 2009 and 2019, killing an estimated 200 people, according to a report by the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis.

An audit of almost 15,000 buildings by the National Building Inspectorate found that 4.8 percent were very dangerous, 72.3 percent were classified as unsafe, the report said.

The number of buildings completed annually in Nairobi has risen from 20,025 in 2022 to 25,090 last year, according to its statistics bureau, as east Africa’s leading economy continues to expand.