The National Construction Authority (NCA) has confirmed the collapse of a multi-storey building under construction in South C, Nairobi, near the South C Shopping Centre and Nairobi South Hospital, on the morning of Friday, January 2, 2026, describing the project as non-compliant at the time of the incident.
The building, a proposed mixed-use development located on Muhoho Avenue, plot number 68/1306 in South C Ward, Lang’ata Sub-County, was registered with NCA on November 8, 2023.
According to the Authority, the developer on record, Abyan Consulting Limited, also served as the contractor, while the consultants involved included Architect Gideon Chege Mwangi (A2010), Engineer Peter Kimani Kireru (A3687), and Quantity Surveyor James Kirika Njoroge (Q1126).
The contractor was registered under the NCA 4 category for building works, and the sole company director is Yussuf Mohamed Yussuf.
“Upon receiving the incident report, emergency response teams were immediately deployed to the site,” NCA said, noting that search-and-rescue operations and site securing activities were ongoing in coordination with relevant emergency and security agencies.
The Authority emphasized that a comprehensive report will be issued at the conclusion of the investigation.
“The National Construction Authority reiterates its commitment to safeguarding public safety, ensuring accountability within the construction industry, and upholding the highest standards of professionalism and compliance across all construction projects nationwide,” said Eng. Maurice Akech, Executive Director and Registrar of Contractors.
Nairobi City County also confirmed the collapse, saying the collapsed building had previously been subjected to enforcement actions over varying infractions in May, July, and December 2025.
According to the County’s Office of the Chief Officer for Boroughs and Sub-County Administration, Dabasso Wario, preliminary assessments indicate that the incident involved a “pancake collapse” of the 14-floor building.
A command centre has been established to coordinate operations, with debris removal proceeding alongside the primary search phase.
“An adjacent 14-floor building has been identified as a high-risk structure, with potential structural compromise resulting from vibrations and impact caused by the collapse,” the County said, noting that specialized theodolite and laser equipment have been deployed to monitor wall tilting, leaning columns, crack widening, floor sagging, and other alignment shifts in the neighboring structure.
National Disaster Management Operation officer William Sifuna said the rescue teams are working intensively to locate potential survivors.
“We are suspecting there are some lives, and as you can see, on the battleground, all the agencies on the ground, machinery is on the ground. We are trying very hard to clear the roads that are blocked by the building, and at the moment, we are yet to arrive to the suspected lives,” he said, adding that rescue efforts are ongoing under challenging conditions due to damage to the adjacent building’s pillars.
