Eastleigh building tragedy exposes City Hall cartels, safety failures
Questions mount over building approvals, alleged bribery and failed enforcement as rescue teams search rubble for missing people
The collapse of a multi-storey building under construction in Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighbourhood last week has reignited scrutiny of City Hall’s building approval and enforcement systems, amid allegations that corruption cartels are exploiting loopholes in urban planning processes to facilitate irregular developments.
The 18-storey building, which collapsed along 9th Street on Friday, October 23, 2026, has raised fresh questions about the safety of construction projects in the capital, the effectiveness of county inspections and the accountability of officials responsible for approving and supervising developments.
The incident has also intensified pressure on Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s administration to explain how potentially unsafe buildings continue to rise in densely populated neighbourhoods despite regulatory requirements governing construction.
So far, four people had been rescued and taken to hospital as emergency operations continued, while Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said seven people had been reported missing following the collapse.
The National Police Service said it was supporting a multi-agency search-and-rescue operation, with specialised equipment being deployed to reach people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
In an update issued on Friday evening, Murkomen said 67 construction workers had been at the site when the building collapsed. All the workers had been accounted for, with 66 escaping uninjured and one sustaining injuries. The injured worker was reported to be in stable condition in hospital.
However, the situation remained complicated by reports that people were still missing, with rescue teams continuing efforts to establish whether anyone remained trapped inside the collapsed structure.
Murkomen also disclosed that 11 shops on the ground floor and in the basement were occupied when the building came down, raising concerns about the potential exposure of traders, customers and other members of the public to the disaster.
Authorities urged families searching for missing relatives to report to the Kenya Red Cross desk established at the scene or call the emergency response number 1199.
Members of the public were also advised to keep away from the affected area, particularly along Yusuf Haji Avenue and 9th Street, to allow emergency personnel unhindered access.
But beyond the immediate rescue operation, the disaster has brought renewed attention to allegations of corruption within Nairobi County’s Urban Planning Department, where decisions on building plans, development approvals and construction compliance are made.
This comes amid allegations that cartels operating around City Hall make millions of shillings by manipulating building approval procedures, exploiting weaknesses in digital systems and facilitating irregular developments.
The allegations point to a system in which official procedures can allegedly be circumvented through bribery, targeted manipulation and the bypassing of digital controls intended to improve transparency and accountability.
