Eastleigh Collapse: Government Suspects Forged Approvals as Red Cross Traces 66 of 67 WorkersEastleigh Collapse: Government Suspects Forged Approvals as Red Cross Traces 66 of 67 Workers

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.

Update: workers traced and a survivor rescued

Later on Saturday the Kenya Red Cross said 66 of the 67 construction workers on site had been traced and accounted for, and that the search continues for anyone else who may have been in or near the building. That figure replaces the tracing desk's earlier tally of 31 missing-person reports, which the agency had said included workers who had left the site and gone home.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said on Friday evening that all 67 workers had been accounted for, with 66 uninjured and one injured and in stable condition in hospital. The two official counts differ by one worker, and neither agency had explained the gap at the time of writing.

One person was also pulled from the rubble on Saturday and rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital, according to police and the Kenya Red Cross. No deaths had been reported. A multi-agency team of the Kenya Defence Forces, the National Police Service, Nairobi City County, the National Youth Service and the Red Cross is coordinating the search, and Nairobi regional police commander Issa Mohamud said rescuers hoped to reach the ground floors soon.

What the county and regulators say

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.

The NCA has named the developer as 9th Street Plaza Limited and the contractor as Stromax Holdings E.A Limited, and said the project was registered on 30 July 2025 as a proposed development. It also named a project architect and a structural engineer. It did not say whether it inspected the site before the collapse.

The Engineers Board of Kenya has opened a formal investigation into the contributing factors and the role of any engineers involved. Acting Registrar and CEO Grace Onyango said confirmed breaches of licensing or professional standards would lead to regulatory action. Commander Mohamud said investigators will look into criminal negligence and that the owner and those who authorised the building could face charges, depending on the findings.

The forgery allegation remains a suspicion voiced by the government. No charges had been announced, and Mwenendo could not independently verify the documents. Neither the developer nor the contractor had publicly responded at the time of writing.

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.

Mwenendo has set out its demands for City Hall in its editorial, two towers down in ten months, including a public list of every high-rise site. Families can reach the Red Cross tracing desk through its emergency lines, 1199 and 1508.