11 Feared Trapped Under Rubble: CS Murkomen Issues Late-Night Eastleigh Directive

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has confirmed that approximately 11 people remain unaccounted for following the collapse of an 18-storey building under construction in Eastleigh, Nairobi, with fears that they may be trapped beneath the rubble.

Murkomen visited the disaster scene alongside Public Service CS Geoffrey Kiringu, where he provided an update on the rescue operation and the people who were at the site when the building collapsed.

According to Murkomen, all 67 construction workers who were at the site have been accounted for. Of these, 66 escaped without injuries, while one sustained minor injuries.

However, concerns remain over people who may have been inside businesses operating on the building’s lower floors when the structure came down.

The Interior CS said initial reports indicated that approximately 11 people had been inside ground-floor shops at the time of the collapse. Rescue teams were continuing their search to establish whether anyone remained trapped beneath the debris.

Murkomen said emergency responders would maintain operations throughout the night, working to clear the rubble and reach possible survivors.

He also announced plans for a multi-agency technical committee comprising structural engineers, national government officials and county planners to investigate the cause of the collapse and assess whether the building complied with structural safety requirements.

The committee is expected to examine possible regulatory failures, construction standards and the approvals granted for the project.

Murkomen warned that anyone found responsible for illegal approvals, regulatory failures or substandard construction would face legal action.

Meanwhile, heavy excavators and rescue personnel continued clearing the wreckage under floodlights as the search for the missing people intensified.

Watch the report: https://youtu.be/2RWXBPoGVbs