The body of a man who went missing while house hunting at the 11-storey building at Fayaz Kilifi Corner in Mombasa has been retrieved.

The recovery of Yusuf Ali Abdi’s body brought to an end 12 days of search operations following the demolition of the building last Wednesday by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).

His remains were pulled from the rubble on Sunday, April 13, 2025, and removed to the Coast General Hospital mortuary to facilitate a postmortem exercise.

The deceased was last seen on April 2 on CCTV footage entering the building, and shortly after, the first floor of the flats caved in. Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir said the family had positively identified the body as that of their kin.

“We have this morning retrieved the body from the debris, and the family has confirmed it is that of Yussuf Ali Abdi,” the governor said the building collapsed.

Governor Nassir noted that the exercise to remove the remains from the debris took longer due to the manner in which the building collapsed.

“Investigations are still ongoing to determine the exact cause of the collapse, and once the task force concludes its probe, the findings will be made public; legal action will be taken against all those found capable,” stated the governor.

The deceased’s family representative, Liban Hirsi, thanked the government for its efforts in locating the body and commended the officers from various departments and Mombasa residents for standing with the family during the difficult period.

“We deeply appreciate the assistance we received from the county government and security agencies. The support from the people of Mombasa through prayers gave us strength as we waited for answers,” said Hirsi.