Several Feared Trapped as Mall Collapses in Eastleigh

An 18-storey building under construction collapsed along 9th Street in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on October 23, 2026, leaving several people feared trapped beneath the rubble.

According to Nairobi police boss Issa Mohamed, authorities were still gathering details about the collapse as rescue efforts got underway.

“The house was about 10 floors but we are waiting for more as the responders rush to save lives,” he said.

Rescue teams were dispatched to the site as emergency operations began, with responders working to establish whether people were buried in the rubble.

A large crowd gathered around the collapse site, blocking nearby roads and preventing ambulances and emergency responders from reaching the disaster zone.

As a result, Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd and deployed additional officers to clear access routes and facilitate rescue operations.

Photos seen by The Kenya Times showed the collapsed building reduced to piles of broken concrete, twisted metal and rubble.

Other images captured a large crowd gathered along the adjacent street as rescue workers and members of the public assessed the scene, with dust lingering in the air and overhead power lines near the site.

Nairobi County Update

In an update, Nairobi County has said that the emergency response teams have been deployed to a building collapse site along 1st Avenue, 9th Street, in Eastleigh, where a 12-storey structure under construction came down.

According to the county government, the building’s ground floor was already occupied when the collapse occurred, raising concerns that people could be trapped beneath the debris.

Rescue personnel are assessing the site and conducting search and rescue operations, while machinery has been deployed to clear rubble and create access to areas where victims may be trapped.

The county said the Relief Officer had been notified as efforts continued to mobilize additional resources. Further details are expected as the operation progresses.

“Rescue teams are assessing the scene and conducting search and rescue operations amid reports that people may be trapped beneath the rubble. Machinery has been deployed to support debris removal and facilitate access to potential victims,” part of the statement read.

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Where the Building In Eastleigh Collapsed

The collapsed structure stood along Yusuf Haji Avenue, near Day-to-Day Supermarket on 9th Street in Eastleigh.

Reports indicate that shops and rental units were operating on the lower floors even as construction continued.

The Kenya Red Cross said its emergency response teams were heading to the site to support rescue efforts following the incident.

“A building has collapsed along Yusuf Haji Avenue, next to Day-to-Day Supermarket on 9th Street, Eastleigh. Kenya Red Cross response teams are en route to the scene,” Kenya Red Cross said.

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The Eastleigh incident adds to a series of building collapses reported in Nairobi in 2026, including incidents in the Central Business District, Westlands and South C.

On October 17, a multi-storey building housing Club Avenida along Moi Avenue in Nairobi’s CBD collapsed during a planned demolition. Four of the 24 workers at the site were injured, but all were later accounted for.

In Westlands, a 22-storey building under construction caved in around September or October, killing one worker and trapping others.

Earlier, on January 2, a 16-storey residential building under construction along Muhoho Road in South C collapsed, killing at least two people and leaving workers trapped.

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