Passaris demands full planning committee resign over South C house collapse
By Kenneth Mwenda, January 4, 2026Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has called for the resignation of the entire Nairobi County planning committee following the collapse of a building in South C. Taking to X on Sunday, January 4, 2026, Passaris said that she met the family of one of the victims and stressed that accountability must reach the highest levels.
“I call for accountability at the highest levels: the entire county planning committee must resign,” Passaris said. “Above all, any lives lost must be compensated, and those responsible must be brought to book. We need a wholesale clearing of the deck rather than the sacrifice of junior officers.”
Passaris earlier added that substandard buildings continue to receive official approval despite clear safety violations.
“We’ve seen approvals done for greed,” she stated, noting that senior officials should not hide behind bureaucracy while lower-level staff face consequences.
The call for resignation comes amid growing public anger over the collapse, which occurred at a South C shopping centre on Friday, January 2, 2026. The building was under construction and its fall has raised questions about the enforcement of safety regulations and inspection protocols.
Rescue efforts continue intensively
Rescue and recovery operations entered their third day on Sunday, with teams working to locate and retrieve suspected missing persons. Incident Commander Duncan Onyango Ochieng, director of the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU), said the operations remain delicate and high risk.
He noted that every operational decision being taken at the site prioritises the safety of responders while maximising the chances of reaching any remaining victims. He added that the operation uses specialised skills, equipment, and proven urban search and rescue techniques to locate trapped individuals.
The site remains hazardous due to heavy machinery, debris blocking access, and exposed metallic materials. Members of the public and responders without proper protective equipment have been urged to stay away from the restricted area. Authorities have marked the operational zone clearly and asked for public cooperation to avoid interfering with recovery efforts.