Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan presses government to step up Eastleigh building collapse rescue operation, reopen roads

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan presses government to step up Eastleigh building collapse rescue operation, reopen roads - Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan addresses journalists at the Eastleigh building collapse site on October 27, 2026. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif)

The Kamukunji MP warns time is running out to reach survivors trapped beneath the rubble as he calls for more rescue equipment and personnel.

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan has warned that time is running out to save people believed to be trapped beneath the collapsed Eastleigh building, urging the national and county governments to deploy more resources to speed up the rescue operation.

Yusuf, who visited the site on Tuesday, said although the operation had made progress, rescuers needed to intensify their efforts to reach those believed to be trapped in the lower basement.

The operation entered its fifth day on Tuesday, with no one having been pulled out of the collapsed building since Saturday.

He said authorities and emergency teams needed to make the most of the remaining time, warning that further delays could reduce the chances of finding survivors.

"I am worried that we have reached the end of the journey because if we cannot get at the bottom of that building and rescue people then it will be a big problem," he said.

The MP said he had witnessed increased activity at the site compared with his visit on Monday night, adding that the progress had raised his expectations of the rescue teams.

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He urged the government and agencies involved in the operation to provide additional equipment, personnel and other resources to help rescuers reach those believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.

Yusuf also commended the National Youth Service, Kenya Defence Forces, Kenya Red Cross Society, National Police Service and other organisations involved in the operation, urging them to sustain their efforts to locate and reach those still trapped.

Beyond the rescue operation, the MP called on authorities to reopen roads around the affected area, saying the restrictions had disrupted businesses and threatened the livelihoods of traders who depend on daily sales to support their families.

He said he had spoken to traders, including hawkers, street vendors and business owners, who complained that they had been unable to operate because of the restrictions imposed around the collapse site.

“These people have families to feed. They have children to send to school. So I am asking the authorities to urgently take the necessary actions to open up the roads,” Yusuf said.

He argued that rescue efforts could continue without shutting down the entire neighbourhood, urging the national and county governments to allow businesses in unaffected areas to resume operations as emergency teams continued working at the scene.

Yusuf noted that Eastleigh is a major trading hub that attracts thousands of people daily, warning that the restrictions had affected businesses with no direct connection to the collapsed building.

He called for a coordinated approach that would allow rescue teams to continue searching for survivors while traders returned to work, saying efforts to save lives should not unnecessarily disrupt the livelihoods of other residents and business owners.

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan at the collapsed building site along Eastleigh’s 9th Street on October 27, 2027. (Photo: X/Yusuf Hassan)

Meanwhile, Assistant Inspector General Duncan Onyango said rescue teams had deployed equipment and personnel and were working to reach those believed to be trapped inside the building.

Onyango estimated that the operation was between 70 and 75 per cent complete, although he did not explain the specific measures used to assess its progress.

He said the teams were using technology capable of detecting signs of life and locating bodies, adding that their priority was to rescue anyone still alive or recover the bodies of those who may have died.

Onyango said rescue teams had pulled two people from the rubble, excluding those who had been brought out by members of the public before the teams took over the operation.

He also clarified that the Chinese personnel who had arrived at the site were not professional rescuers but had come ahead of an international urban search and rescue conference scheduled to take place in Shanzu, Mombasa, from November 3 to 6.

The Chinese team had brought equipment to demonstrate technologies used in urban search and rescue operations following an invitation from the Kenya Red Cross Society.