Building collapse near Nairobi kills at least six, after 23 October Eastleigh disaster

The collapse

An unfinished building partly collapsed in Nairobi on Friday, 13 November 2026, at around 09:52 local time, according to a preliminary report from the emergency team of Nairobi City County. Most reports describe an eight-storey structure, although one Polish outlet gave twelve floors. The upper concrete slab gave way and brought down part of the building while construction workers were on site. The report did not establish why the slab failed. Sources place the site beside the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, with the emergency report pointing to the SGR terminus in Mlolongo and Al Jazeera naming Syokimau on the outskirts of the capital. Emergency teams, including firefighters, have kept working at the scene, and residents and motorists on the Mombasa highway were told to stay clear of the area.

Rescue and casualties

At least six people died. Bramwell Simiyu, who heads disaster management for Nairobi County, said three bodies were recovered during the early morning operations and three more were brought out later from the debris. He said that all six victims were middle-aged men. The Kenya Red Cross reported on X that three people had been rescued and taken to hospital, while local media, citing the emergency report, raised the number pulled out alive to five. Al Jazeera and NOS reported that at least one person was missing. The number of workers on site has not been confirmed, so others could still be trapped, and specialist rescue teams are searching the rubble.

Patrick Makau, a member of Kenya's parliament for Mavoko, which includes Syokimau, urged rescue agencies to act quickly in a post on social media.

The earlier Eastleigh collapse

On 23 October 2026 a building collapsed in Eastleigh, one of the main commercial districts of eastern Nairobi, killing eight people. Searches for bodies at the Eastleigh site continued for two weeks. The Friday collapse has revived calls for stronger safety oversight of construction sites in the city. The state research body KIPPRA has named poor workmanship, inadequate supervision, substandard materials and faulty designs as wider causes of building collapses in Kenya.

23 October 2026, Eastleigh8

13 November 2026 (at least six)6

23 October 2026, Eastleigh

8 deaths

13 November 2026 (at least six)

6 deaths

Data from the article text

What happens next

Search and rescue work continues at the site, and the number of workers present still has to be confirmed, so the death toll could change. Police have opened an investigation into the owner of the building and the agencies that gave permission for its construction. Two collapses in Nairobi within three weeks have intensified the demand for tougher construction oversight. Authorities have not yet said when the rubble search will end.