KAJIADO, Kenya — Four people have died and 11 others sustained severe injuries after a perimeter wall collapsed at a construction site in Riverside, Nairobi County, trapping dozens of workers beneath the rubble.
The incident occurred on Saturday at approximately 11:30 am, triggering an emergency response involving Nairobi City County disaster management teams and other national emergency agencies.
In a situation report, Nairobi County Chief Officer for Disaster Management and Coordination Bramwell Simiyu said 39 construction workers were at the site when the perimeter wall suddenly gave way.
Eleven workers were rescued alive and rushed to nearby medical facilities with severe injuries, while another 14 were confirmed safe and stable at the scene.
Four fatalities had been confirmed as rescue teams continued searching for 11 other workers whose whereabouts remained unknown.
The collapse prompted the deployment of multi-agency emergency response and search-and-rescue teams, with authorities coordinating efforts to locate anyone still trapped beneath the debris.
The affected area has since been cordoned off to facilitate rescue operations and protect members of the public from further danger.
Construction site under scrutiny after deadly collapse
Preliminary assessments indicated that the main building was still at the excavation and foundation stage, with no upper floors erected when the perimeter wall collapsed.
The circumstances surrounding the failure of the wall remain unclear, with authorities expected to investigate the structural and regulatory compliance of the construction project.
Nairobi City County said its Department of Built Environment and Urban Planning, working alongside the National Construction Authority (NCA), would conduct a comprehensive structural and regulatory compliance audit after search-and-rescue operations are completed.
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The assessment is expected to establish whether the construction site met the applicable building standards and safety requirements.
Meanwhile, motorists and members of the public have been urged to avoid the immediate Riverside area to allow emergency vehicles and heavy rescue machinery unobstructed access to the site.
Authorities said further updates would be provided as rescue operations continued and the whereabouts of the missing workers were established.
The incident has once again drawn attention to construction-site safety and the risks posed by structural failures in Nairobi, particularly as emergency teams work to establish what caused the deadly collapse.
This is a developing story. Updated to put death toll at 4.
