Relief as no casualties reported after Kisumu building collapse

Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o has confirmed that no lives were lost after a four-storey building under construction collapsed in Tom Mboya Estate in Kisumu on Monday night, as authorities launched investigations into possible structural failures and intensified inspections across construction sites in the city.

The building came down at around 8 pm., causing panic among residents in the densely populated neighbourhood and triggering a large-scale emergency response involving county and national agencies.

Speaking during a media briefing on Tuesday, Governor Nyong’o said all workers and individuals believed to have been at or near the site were safely accounted for following overnight rescue and assessment operations.

“We are grateful that no lives were lost in the incident of a collapsed four-storey building under construction in Tom Mboya Estate last night,” Nyong’o said.

The governor added that the county government worked jointly with Deputy Governor Mathew Owili, Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga and officials from the National Construction Authority to coordinate emergency operations and brief the public on the incident.

According to Nyong’o, the county’s Emergency Operations Centre received an alert at 8:06 p.m., prompting the immediate deployment of rescue and response teams to the scene.

Emergency personnel included county fire engines, ambulances from Kisumu County Referral Hospital, Avenue Hospital and Lisa Hospital, as well as officers from the Kenya Red Cross Society, county inspectorate units and city planning departments.

The teams worked through the night to secure the area, assess the stability of nearby structures and ensure no individuals remained trapped under the debris.

Residents gathered near the site as rescue teams combed through the rubble amid fears that workers could have been trapped when the building collapsed. However, officials later confirmed that everyone connected to the construction site had been traced and accounted for.

Preliminary assessments by authorities have pointed to possible structural defects, raising fresh concerns over adherence to building regulations and construction standards within the rapidly growing lakeside city.

Nyong’o warned that the county government would take firm action against developers, contractors or officials found responsible for unsafe construction practices.

“As the County Government of Kisumu, we will not tolerate unsafe construction practices,” the governor stated.

“I have directed intensified inspections across all construction sites and isolated cases of compromise or negligence by any County staff will be addressed appropriately. We cannot afford to compromise the lives and safety of our people out of greed or self-interest,” he added.

Authorities said investigations are now focused on determining whether the project complied with approved engineering and safety requirements and whether any regulatory lapses contributed to the collapse.

The incident has renewed attention on construction safety standards in major urban centres, where rapid development has at times raised concerns over oversight, compliance and enforcement of building regulations.

County officials said inspections of construction sites across Kisumu had already begun as part of efforts to prevent similar incidents in the future.