Eastleigh building collapse: Fatalities rises to six as operation nears conclusion with zero arrest
Rescue teams led by Distater Response Unit work at the site of a building that collapsed in Eastleigh, Nairobi on October 23, 2026.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Correspondent
The multi-agency team at the scene of the collapsed building in Eastleigh, Nairobi County, has recovered four more bodies from the rubble, bringing the total to six.
This comes 14 days after the 18-storey building collapsed along the 9th Street.
While briefing the media at the scene, the Director of the National Disaster Management Unit Dr Duncan Ochieng, said that the process of recovering the four bodies had started at around 2.00am and continued until 6.00 am on Thursday, when the third body was pulled out of the rubble.
The fourth body was recovered at midday when the team managed to clear the rubble obstructing their path. Dr Ochieng said that of the six bodies, four are female and two are male.
An aerial view of the site of the collapsed building in Eastleigh, Nairobi as excavators clear debris on October 30, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
"Fortunately enough, we have been able to reach the basement area. Unfortunately, we have been able to recover four bodies this morning. As we speak, three bodies were recovered shortly before 6.00am," Dr Ochieng said.
He explained that the nature of the collapsed building and the confined space of the operation were the reasons why the operation had stretched to the second week.
"In the history of this country, we have never experienced an 18-floor building collapse. The rescue teams have been able to diligently go through the rubble to ensure that we save lives and recover the people who have been trapped," he said.
Dr Ochieng also said that families of the first two deceased, whose bodies were retrieved in the first week of the operation, had identified their loved ones.
Excavators clear rubble during operations at the site of the collapsed building in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on October 31, 2026.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
The officers also said that some of the bodies were dismembered due to the impact of the pillars and the walls. Their remains were packed in two bags.
The autopsy process of the recovered bodies is ongoing at the Nairobi City Funeral Home (City Mortuary). The operation is 95 percent complete and is expected to close on Friday.
The affected families have also been asked to be patient as the rescue operation continues. Five people are still missing, according to reports documented by the affected families.
The investigations are ongoing to establish what caused the building to collapse, but no one has, so far, been arrested.
Preliminary reports indicate that the developer of the building had not acquired approval from the relevant authorities to carry out the construction.
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