Nairobi County Reveals Possible Cause of 16-Storey Building Collapse in South C

Nairobi City County has released an official situation report detailing the circumstances surrounding the collapse of a multi-storey building in South C, Lang’ata Sub-County, while pointing to possible issues that may have contributed to the incident.

The report was issued by the Office of the County Chief Officer for Boroughs and Sub-County Administration following the disaster that occurred on the morning of Friday, January 2, 2026.

According to the county, the 14-floor building collapsed at Plot No. 209/5909/10 along Kiganjo Muhoho Avenue Junction in South C Ward within the Southern Borough.

In its initial assessment, Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) confirmed that emergency response teams were swiftly dispatched to the scene to commence rescue and recovery operations.

“Early this morning, a fourteen-floor multi-storey building collapsed,” the report states, adding that, “the incident occurred within a densely populated residential area.”

Preliminary findings indicate that the collapse took the form of a “pancake collapse,” a structural failure where floors fall vertically onto each other.

The county revealed that “at least two people were believed to be trapped within the debris,” at the time of the report, prompting an urgent, multi-agency rescue operation coordinated by county and national authorities.

Multi-Agency Rescue Operations Underway

Nairobi County said emergency and rescue efforts are being jointly managed by several agencies, including NCCG teams, the National Youth Service (NYS), the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Disaster Response Battalion, and the Nairobi Fire Brigade.

“Emergency response and rescue operations are underway, supported by equipment from Nairobi City County Government, the National Youth Service, the Kenya Defence Forces Disaster Response Battalion, and the Nairobi Fire Brigade,” the report reads.

“A command centre has been established near the site to coordinate search, rescue, and debris removal activities,” the report added.

County officials confirmed that “debris removal is proceeding in parallel with the primary search phase” to increase the chances of locating survivors.

Utilities present at the site include electricity and water, and authorities stated that, “all relevant agencies had been notified and had activated their response mechanisms.”

Also Read: South C Building Collapse Exposes Regulatory Failures

Adjacent Building Declared High Risk

The county further disclosed that an adjacent 16-floor building has been identified as a high-risk structure due to possible structural compromise caused by vibrations and impact from the collapse.

To manage the risk, specialized monitoring equipment has been deployed.

“Theodolite and laser equipment have been deployed within the cold zone to continuously monitor the adjacent building,” the statement said.

Monitoring efforts are focusing on indicators such as wall tilting, leaning columns, crack widening, floor sagging, vertical and horizontal angular deviations, alignment shifts, tilts, and ground subsidence.

These assessments are ongoing as rescue operations continue.

Also Read: Latest Update on 16-Storey Building Collapse in Nairobi

Past Enforcement Actions Raise Questions

In a key revelation, Nairobi County noted that “the collapsed site had previously been subjected to enforcement action.”

According to the report, NCCG had taken enforcement measures against the site on various dates in May, July, and December 2025 over a number of infractions.

However, the county government did not detail the specific violations.

The Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team remains deployed at the site with specialized tools to support ongoing operations.

County officials emphasized that “investigations into the cause of the collapse are currently underway,” and that further updates will be issued as more information becomes available.

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