NAIROBI, Kenya — Search and recovery operations at the site of the collapsed building along 9th Street in Eastleigh, Nairobi, have officially ended after 15 days, with eight bodies recovered and four people rescued alive.
Operations commander William Sifuna announced the closure on Friday, November 6, 2026, saying multi-agency teams had completed the search for people believed to have been trapped beneath the rubble.
He said the decision followed efforts to account for everyone whose whereabouts had been reported missing after the October 23 collapse.
“So right now we don’t have any other expected recovery because each and every life that we are looking for, we found the bodies and we found those who are living,” Sifuna said.
However, the Kenya Red Cross reported that three people remained missing, with police continuing investigations to establish their whereabouts and determine whether they had been inside the building when it collapsed.
The closure of the physical recovery operation therefore does not mean all missing-person cases have been resolved.
The disaster triggered a major multi-agency response involving the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU), National Disaster Operations Centre, Nairobi City County Government and the Kenya Red Cross.
The eight bodies recovered were transferred to Nairobi City Mortuary, while four survivors were pulled from the rubble during the operation.
Authorities secure collapse site as road reopens
Following the conclusion of the recovery exercise, authorities are moving to secure the affected property and restore normal activities along the busy commercial street.
Sifuna said security measures would be put in place to prevent unauthorised access to the site as investigations into the collapse continue.
He added that the building’s owner would be required to fence off the affected area using iron sheets to protect the public and restrict access to the dangerous structure.
The operation commander also announced that the road, which had remained closed throughout the rescue and recovery exercise, would be reopened to allow traders to resume business.
The closure had disrupted commercial activities along 9th Street, preventing traders from accessing their premises for more than two weeks.
The reopening is expected to ease the disruption experienced by businesses and residents in the surrounding area, although the affected property will remain secured.
Families await identification of recovered victims
With the search at the collapse site concluded, attention has shifted to Nairobi City Mortuary, where post-mortem examinations and DNA profiling are being conducted to establish the identities of the recovered victims.
Authorities are working with affected families to facilitate identification and prepare for the release and burial of the remains.
The identification process is particularly important where the condition of recovered bodies makes visual recognition difficult.
Nairobi County Government is also expected to waive mortuary fees for the victims and provide financial assistance to affected families to support burial arrangements.
The assistance is intended to ease the financial burden on families who have spent more than two weeks waiting for information about their missing relatives.
Investigations continue as neighbouring buildings undergo assessment
Although the physical recovery operation has ended, investigations into the circumstances surrounding the collapse remain ongoing.
The incident has raised questions about construction approvals, structural safety and the enforcement of building regulations in Nairobi.
Sifuna said engineers and physical planning experts had assessed neighbouring buildings whose structural integrity had come under scrutiny following the disaster.
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Authorities are awaiting the experts’ report before deciding what further action should be taken, including whether additional safety measures or restrictions are necessary.
The October 23 collapse involved an 18-storey building that was still under construction, with some lower floors reportedly occupied at the time of the incident.
The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of how buildings are approved, inspected and monitored during construction, particularly in densely populated commercial areas.
Investigators are expected to establish the circumstances that led to the collapse and determine whether developers, contractors, construction professionals or relevant authorities failed to meet their legal and professional responsibilities.
The end of the 15-day recovery exercise marks a major stage in the response to the disaster, but questions surrounding the three people still reported missing, the identification of victims and accountability for the collapse remain unresolved.
