Eastleigh building collapse: search called off with three people still missing

A multi-agency search at the collapsed Eastleigh building has ended with three people still unaccounted for, while Nairobi County Assembly hearings raise questions about building approvals.

What happened

An 18-storey building collapsed on Ninth Street in Eastleigh on October 13, 2026, according to [1]. Source [3] says the rescue operation began on October 23, following the collapse. The multi-agency team called off the operation on Friday. Its remaining task was to clear debris from the street so that businesses could resume operations [1]. Families who had camped along the street through cold and rain are still waiting for news about their relatives [1].

Why Kenyans are searching for it

The sources do not say why the story is drawing searches. They report the outcome of the rescue and a separate account of the County Assembly hearing, but none of them explains the level of public interest.

Key facts

• Four people were rescued alive, and eight bodies were recovered: six women and two men [3].
• Three people remain unaccounted for. Police say their cases will be treated as missing persons reports, and the National Police Service will take over follow-up with their families [3].
• The developer and contractor of the building failed to appear before the Nairobi County Assembly, according to [2].
• Urban Planning CEC Patrick Mbogo told the Assembly Planning Committee that officers' roles in overseeing building approvals had been taken over by powerful individuals in the governor's office, according to [2]. He could not clearly explain the process or who makes final decisions [2].
• Sources report that two advisers to the Executive were running the department's building approvals [2].
• Tom Achar, Acting Director for compliance, admitted that the department has faced political interference, according to [2]. Some directors reportedly told the committee that they were not registered architects or planners [2].

What to watch

• Whether the three missing people are found. Families have been urged to keep reporting missing relatives at police stations across the Nairobi region [1].
• How the National Police Service follows up on the missing persons cases [3].
• Further scrutiny by the Nairobi County Assembly of the Urban Planning department and of the developer and contractor, who have not yet appeared before it [2].

Sources

1. [1] Three still missing as Eastleigh building collapse search is called off - Nairobi Tea
2. [2] Contractor of Eastleigh collapsed building missing as blame lands on Sakaja's office - Nairobi Tea
3. [3] Police call off Eastleigh building search as three people remain missing - Nairobi Tea

Compiled by the NairobiCity trend desk from the sources above.