One body was on Friday, October 30 morning retrieved from the rubble of the multi-storey building that collapsed in Eastleigh, Nairobi.

The body of a woman was found by rescue teams who have been working tirelessly since Friday, October 23, when the ill-fated building, which was still under construction, came tumbling down along 9th Street.

Multi-agency emergency teams continue searching for people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble, even as they face challenges accessing the lower sections of the building, including the basement.

According to authorities, 80 per cent of the debris has been cleared.

Meanwhile, Nairobi North County Commissioner Simon Osumba says 16 people remain unaccounted for following a verification exercise conducted by the Kenya Red Cross and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

Forensic investigations, Osumba says, had helped rescue workers and investigators establish that nine of the missing persons were at the building shortly before it collapsed.

Signs of life detected

A Chinese disaster rescue team earlier this week detected signs of life beneath the rubble, raising hopes of locating survivors.

Anthony Muchiri, emergency operations manager of the Kenya Red Cross and the official in charge of the organization’s operations at the site, said that they were working to reach the areas where members of Blue Sky Rescue, a Chinese humanitarian disaster relief organization, detected the signs of life.

Governor demands explanation

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has since demanded an explanation from Kamukunji Police Station over the reported release of suspects arrested in connection with the Eastleigh building that later collapsed, questioning why they were allegedly released on a cash bail of KSh50,000 without being presented in court.

Sakaja said Nairobi City County had taken enforcement action against those involved after establishing that the County had approved a change of user for the property but had not approved the architectural plans required to authorise construction.

The Governor said County officers arrested the suspects and handed them over to Kamukunji Police Station because county governments no longer exercise the prosecutorial powers they previously held.

“We enforced the law and arrested those involved. However, because we do not have prosecutorial powers, the suspects were handed over to Kamukunji Police Station. They were reportedly released on a cash bail of Sh50,000 without being taken to court,” Sakaja said. “We want the police to explain why the suspects were released without being presented in court and why construction was allowed to continue. These are serious questions that must be answered.”

A police occurrence book entry from Kamukunji Police Station indicates that 14 suspects were booked into custody on June 17, 2026, over alleged offences relating to contravention of city planning laws.

The entry, recorded under OB No. 98/17/06/2026, names the suspects and states that they were booked by Nairobi City County officers before being placed in police cells.A separate Kenya Police Service record indicates that 10 suspects were subsequently released on a cash bail of KSh50,000.

The entry, recorded at 9.44pm, states that the release was carried out on the instructions of the Officer Commanding Station (OCS), identified in the record as C.I. Onyapidi, through Corporal Awadh.

The suspects named in the release entry are Najib Mustafa, Farah Omar Ahmed, Ahmed Noor Mohamed, Mubashir Hassan, Issak Tahlil Hussein, Ali Haji Abubakar, Abdullahi Abdi Abdullahi, Masinde Julius Muchombo, George Munigir Dinga and Abdi Mohamed Hamed.

The record references receipt number 2039434 and states that the suspects left the station without complaints. However, the documents do not, on their own, establish the specific charges against the suspects, the legal basis for the bail arrangement or whether they were subsequently presented in court.

The discrepancy between the 14 suspects recorded as booked into custody and the 10 named in the release entry also raises questions about the subsequent status of the other suspects.

A June 2025 enforcement notice adds another dimension to the questions surrounding the property and the enforcement of planning regulations.

The notice, issued by Nairobi City County over alleged construction works undertaken without the required development permission, cited the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019, and county by-laws.

It directed the recipient to stop the works and remove the development described as illegal, warning that the County could undertake the required action and recover the costs if the directives were not followed.