Rescue Teams Respond After Building Collapses in Shauri Moyo

Rescue teams are searching through rubble in Nairobi’s Shauri Moyo area after a partially demolished building collapsed on Monday afternoon in the Blue Estate neighbourhood. 

Several people are feared trapped, though the exact number remains unclear. The building stood next to structures that had already been marked for demolition on riparian land, according to the Kenya Red Cross. Emergency teams moved quickly to the site and began clearing debris as residents gathered nearby.

Witnesses said several people had entered the unstable structure shortly before the collapse, reportedly collecting scrap metal from the site. At least five individuals were seen going inside, but authorities have not confirmed how many people may have been trapped when the building gave way.

Recent heavy rainfall in Nairobi may have increased the risk of structural failure. Flooding and saturated soil can weaken foundations, particularly in buildings that have already been partially dismantled.

The incident occurs amid growing concern about building safety in the city, where several structural failures have been reported in recent months. Officials had already begun demolishing buildings in Blue Estate as part of efforts to remove unsafe developments built along waterways.

A day before the collapse, the State Department for Public Health advised residents to avoid unstable buildings during the rainy season, warning that prolonged rainfall can increase the risk of structural failure. The Ministry of Interior and National Administration (Kenya) has also identified 37 estates across the city as vulnerable to flooding.

Several neighbourhoods in the Eastlands area have been listed among those at risk, including Dandora, Kariobangi, Kayole, and Tassia.