We saw a crack! Eastleigh workers' desperate escape before building collapsed

A routine day at a construction site in Eastleigh turned into a fight for survival when workers noticed a crack in an 18-storey building, with some managing to get out before the structure collapsed and others feared buried beneath the wreckage.

Alexander Mugure, one of the workers, said the damage became apparent while they were carrying out their duties. Some decided to leave the building, hoping to reach safety, but the structure came down as they made their way out.

“Wakati tulikuwa tunafanya kazi, tuliona kuna kona moja ilikuwa imepasuka, then tukatoka kujaribu kujiokoa, kufika chini tukaona nyumba imeporomoka,” he said.

Mugure estimated that around 70 workers were at the site when the incident happened. While many rushed to escape, he feared some of their colleagues had not made it out, particularly those who were working in the basement.

Their whereabouts remained uncertain as rescue personnel began searching through the collapsed structure.

The building stood along 9th Street near 1st Avenue, in one of Eastleigh's busy commercial areas. Its collapse drew crowds to the scene and disrupted activity as emergency teams worked to reach anyone who might have survived.

For Joseph, a worker who had been doing plastering, the danger became apparent only after he and his colleagues heard shouting from outside.

Working on one of the upper floors, they initially thought people outside were involved in a fight. They headed downstairs to see what was happening and were confronted with the sight of the building collapsing.

“Tulikuwa tunafikiria pengine ni watu wanapigana, tukasema wacha tutoke twende tuangalie. Kufika chini tunaona nyumba inaporomoka,” he said.

An eyewitness who was passing through the area also watched the building fall, describing a collapse that took place in roughly two minutes. The incident left debris spread across the site as residents, traders and passers-by gathered nearby.

Rescue teams moved in to search for survivors, with heavy machinery brought in to clear the wreckage and create openings into parts of the building. The operation focused on reaching sections where people could still be trapped.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja arrived at the scene with county officials and said responders were removing debris carefully to allow oxygen to reach people believed to be inside.

He also raised concerns about the building's compliance with construction rules, saying it had failed to meet the required guidelines and that its owner would face legal action.

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja confirmed that one person had been pulled alive from the rubble as the search continued.

Police also faced the challenge of managing the crowds around the site. Officers had earlier lobbed tear gas to disperse onlookers as they sought to keep routes clear for emergency vehicles and rescue personnel.

By the time of reporting, authorities had not established how many people remained trapped, the overall casualty toll or what caused the building to collapse.

The incident has brought renewed attention to building safety and the enforcement of construction regulations in Nairobi, where multi-storey developments are common in densely populated neighbourhoods.