South C Member of County Assembly (MCA) Abass Khalif has called on Nairobi City County officials to take responsibility following the collapse of a 16-storey building in the area on Friday, an incident that led to loss of life, injuries, and destruction of property.
Speaking after the incident, Khalif expressed condolences to affected families and residents, while calling for thorough investigations to establish the cause of the collapse and hold those responsible accountable.
According to the MCA, preliminary findings point to negligence and oversight failures within Nairobi City County’s Urban Planning Department. He said officers involved in planning, enforcement, development control, architectural approvals, surveying, and inspection must be held to account.
“We know this is not the first time such an incident has happened. County officials and building owners must be held responsible for this tragedy,” Khalif said.
He added that he had previously raised concerns over the approval and enforcement of construction standards in the city, but his warnings were ignored.
“This should be the final incident and a lesson to all. A 16-floor building does not just collapse — it is a clear indicator that something was fundamentally wrong from the beginning,” he stated.
Khalif further announced plans to review all approved building plans in the area to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Meanwhile, emergency service providers camped at the scene hours after the collapse, with multi-agency teams working to rescue anyone who may be trapped beneath the rubble. The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) joined police and other responders in the search and rescue operation.
Lang’ata police boss Pius Mwanthi confirmed that multi-agency teams had been deployed to comb through the debris to establish whether there were more casualties.
Police reported that at least two people were feared trapped, while one man believed to have been a pedestrian sustained injuries and was rushed to hospital for treatment.
The building, which was still under construction at the time of the collapse, reportedly had no workers on site. However, guards who were on duty were missing, and efforts to trace and account for them were ongoing.
Authorities also said the owner and contractor of the building were being sought for questioning as investigations continue.
