Eastleigh Collapse: Government Suspects Forged Approval Documents as Red Cross Logs 31 MissingEastleigh Collapse: Government Suspects Forged Approval Documents as Red Cross Logs 31 Missing
Key Highlights
- Government says documents used to win approvals for the collapsed Eastleigh high-rise are suspected forgeries and that Nairobi County never approved its plans.
- The Kenya Red Cross has logged 31 missing-person cases, though some may be workers who left the site before the building fell.
- Rescue teams are drilling towards the basement while officials give conflicting figures for how many people may still be trapped.
The Kenyan government says documents used to secure approvals for the 18-storey building that collapsed on Eastleigh's 9th Street are suspected to have been forged, shifting attention from the rescue to how the project was allowed to rise.
Government Spokesperson Charles Owino said on Saturday afternoon that building plans were submitted to Nairobi County but never approved. He said the registered owner of the property is deceased and that the family entered a joint venture to develop it. The claim, if proven, raises hard questions for the National Construction Authority (NCA), which registers projects, and for the county, which approves plans.
As Mwenendo earlier reported, the multi-storey building under construction fell on Friday afternoon with several people feared trapped.
What the county says
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said county records show an application for a building of more than 15 floors with a basement was never approved. His account points to a gap between the county, which grants planning approval, and the NCA, which registers and inspects construction sites. Neither the NCA nor the developers had publicly answered the forgery suspicion at the time of filing.
The allegation remains a suspicion voiced by the government. No charges had been announced, and Mwenendo could not independently verify the documents.
Missing-person figures differ
The Kenya Red Cross said at about 1:30 PM on Saturday that it had logged 31 missing-person cases at its tracing desk. Red Cross officer Benson Ochieng said some of those listed were construction workers who had left the site and gone home, and that the agency is calling families to verify each report.
Two people have been reunited with their families, and two injured people were taken to Kenyatta National Hospital on Friday. No deaths had been reported in the accounts available on Saturday.
Sakaja put the number of people missing or trapped at seven, so the 31 reports are not a count of people under the rubble. Rescue teams were drilling towards the basement as the search continued, and the Ministry of Health has set up a 24-hour response desk at the site with Nairobi County.
Why it matters for buyers and lenders
Off-plan and joint-venture high-rises are common in fast-densifying Nairobi estates. If approvals can be falsified, lenders, insurers, contractors and buyers carry a risk they cannot see from a site hoarding. Anyone financing or buying into such a project can ask the county for the approval reference and check it against the NCA register before paying.
Families can reach the Red Cross tracing desk through its emergency lines, 1199 and 1508.
In Summary
- Who made the forgery claim?
- Government Spokesperson Charles Owino, speaking on Saturday 24 October 2026.
- What is alleged?
- That documents used to secure approvals for the collapsed building are suspected to have been forged, and that plans submitted to Nairobi County were never approved.
- When did the building collapse?
- On Friday 23 October 2026, in the afternoon.
- Where is the site?
- 9th Street, Eastleigh, Nairobi.
- Why does it matter?
- It raises questions over how NCA registration and county approvals were handled for a high-rise financed and built through a joint venture.
- How many people are missing?
- The Kenya Red Cross has logged 31 missing-person cases, still being verified; Governor Johnson Sakaja put the number missing or trapped at seven.