Riverside Wall Collapse: 3 dead, 11 injured as 11 workers remain missing

Three construction workers have died and 11 others sustained severe injuries after a perimeter wall collapsed at an active construction site in Riverside, Nairobi, on Saturday, November 14.

Nairobi County confirmed that 39 workers were at the site when the wall gave way, triggering an emergency response involving county disaster management teams and other national agencies.

In a situation report, County Chief Officer for Disaster Management and Coordination Bramwell Simiyu said 11 workers had been rescued alive and rushed to nearby medical facilities with serious injuries.

Another 14 workers were confirmed safe and stable at the scene, while three fatalities had been recorded as recovery operations continued.

Authorities were still searching for the remaining 11 workers listed in the site's attendance records, with rescue teams conducting checks at nearby hospitals to establish whether any of them had been admitted.

Simiyu said emergency teams had secured the area to allow rescue operations to proceed without disruption and protect members of the public.

Preliminary assessments indicated that the main building was still at the excavation and foundation stage, with no upper floors erected when the incident occurred.

The county said a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse would follow after search and rescue operations are completed.

The County Department of Built Environment and Urban Planning will work alongside the National Construction Authority (NCA) to conduct a structural assessment and establish whether the project complied with construction regulations.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Red Cross confirmed that its emergency response teams had been deployed to the scene near Grand Residence to assist with the rescue operation.

The organisation said two E-Plus ambulances had also been dispatched to provide emergency medical support to those affected.

“A wall has collapsed in Riverside, Nairobi County. Our Red Cross Action Teams are responding, and two E-Plus ambulances are now at the scene. We will share more updates as they come in,” the Kenya Red Cross said.

The latest incident comes barely a day after six people died when an eight-storey building collapsed in Syokimau, Machakos County, raising fresh concerns about construction safety and regulatory enforcement in the Nairobi metropolitan region.

Nairobi County has urged motorists and members of the public to keep away from the immediate Riverside area to give rescue vehicles and heavy machinery unrestricted access to the site.

Further updates are expected as authorities account for the missing workers and establish the circumstances that led to the collapse.