Health Ministry sets up 24-hour desk at Eastleigh collapse scene

The Ministry of Health has established a 24-hour emergency desk at the site of the Eastleigh building collapse in Nairobi to coordinate medical services, support rescue teams and assist families waiting for news of their loved ones.

Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said on Saturday, October 24, 2026, that the ministry had activated its disaster response measures and was working with Nairobi County to provide medical care to anyone rescued alive from the rubble.

Muthoni, who visited the scene in the morning, said medical staff from referral facilities had been deployed to support the county's emergency response, while health facilities near the collapsed building had been put on standby to handle people requiring urgent treatment.

The ministry also urged members of the public without the necessary medical skills to avoid intervening in rescue efforts unless directed by the teams on the ground, warning that uncoordinated assistance could expose people to further risks.

Muthoni said the ministry had partnered with the Kenya Red Cross to establish support stations at the scene, where survivors and affected families could access medical care, emotional support and psychosocial assistance.

The stations are also intended to help relatives who have gathered at the site anxiously awaiting information about family members who may have been trapped in the building.

To help families establish contact with their missing relatives, the ministry has also set aside a desk to facilitate contact tracing. Families have been urged to remain calm and allow the agencies involved to carry out rescue and response operations as quickly as possible.

The ministry further called on public health officers to remain alert to occupational hazards at buildings under construction and report potential dangers promptly to help prevent similar incidents.

Members of the public who have gathered to watch the rescue operation have also been asked to maintain a safe distance from the scene to avoid interfering with the ongoing work.