Fresh details emerge on South C building collapse
By Kenneth Mwenda, January 2, 2026The National Construction Authority (NCA) has confirmed the details of a multi-storey building that collapsed in the early hours of Friday, January 2, 2026, in South C, Nairobi.
In a press statement, the authority said the building, located near the South C Shopping Centre and Nairobi South Hospital, was a proposed mixed-use development on Muhoho Avenue, plot number 68/1306, South C Ward, Lang’ata Sub County.
The project was registered by NCA on November 8, 2023, but was non-compliant at the time of the collapse. Abyan Consulting Limited was listed as both developer and contractor.
The consultants on record were Architect Gideon Chege Mwangi, Engineer Peter Kimani Kireu, and Quantity Surveyor James Kirika Njoroge. The contractor was registered under category NCA 4 for building works, with Yussuf Mohamed Yussuf as the sole company director.
“The building was a Proposed Mixed-Use Development on Muhoho Avenue, plot number 68/1306, South C Ward, Lang’ata Sub County. The project was registered by the Authority on 8th November 2023, and at the time of collapse was non-compliant,” the authority stated.
“The developer on record is Abyan Consulting Limited, the same company which also served as the contractor (77721/B/0523). The consultants on record are Architect Gideon Chege Mwangi (A2101) Engineer Peter Kimani Kireu (A3687) and Quantity Surveyor James Kirika Njoroge (Q1126).”
“The contractor is registered under the category of NCA 4 (Building Works). The sole company director is Yussuf Mohamed Yussuf.”
Upon receiving the incident report, NCA said emergency response teams were immediately deployed to the site. Search-and-rescue operations and site securing activities were ongoing in coordination with relevant emergency and security agencies. The authority added that a comprehensive report will be issued at the conclusion of the investigation.
Rescue efforts
The collapse occurred early on Friday morning, January 2, 2025, sending thick dust and debris into the streets and forcing nearby residents and business owners to leave their homes and shops. Nairobi police commander George Seda said teams were working to locate possible casualties. Security guards on duty were unaccounted for, while one guard told police he rushed to help an injured man after hearing a loud bang.
Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino called for urgent action over poor oversight that he said contributed to the collapse. He added that the tragedy exposed weak enforcement and suspected corruption in Nairobi City County.
Owino condemned bribery and regulatory failures, calling for a full, transparent investigation, immediate suspension of suspicious projects, and prosecution of all responsible parties.
“Lives cannot be rebuilt. But systems can,” he said.
Langata Member of Parliament Phelix “Jalango” Odiwuor also visited the site and urged authorities to suspend all construction work in South C and Nairobi West until full safety audits and compliance checks are carried out. He warned that the collapse left several people trapped under rubble and called on agencies to act with urgency, transparency, and accountability.
4 lives trapped
National Disaster Management Unit director William Sifuna briefed the media at the site, confirming that the collapsed 14-storey building had also affected an adjacent 14-storey structure. He said rescue teams and machinery were on the ground working to locate possible survivors trapped under the debris.
“We are here as you can see, there is a collapse of a building, a 14 story building. It also affected the adjacent building, which is also a 14 story building. Right now, we are suspecting there are some lives that are trapped there, like debris,” he said.
Sifuna explained that the pillars of the neighbouring building had been damaged, making the site delicate, and that efforts were ongoing to clear roads blocked by rubble while carefully moving debris to avoid further casualties. He added that at the time of the briefing, teams had not yet reached the suspected trapped individuals but were working hard to rescue anyone affected.
” We are trying to work hard so that we can see how we can rescue those lives, the four lives that are suspected to be trapped there, like debris. And at this moment, as we continue, this other adjacent building was also affected because its pillars were knocked and it’s like it’s delicate.”
“And at the moment, so far, we are yet to arrive to the suspected lives. So altogether, we don’t have any details right now, but we are on the move to make sure that we arrive to where the bodies are or maybe where the casualties are.”