Ambulance carrying the body leaves the scene/CYRUS OMBATI
The multi-agency team has retrieved one body from the rubble of the 14-storey building which collapsed in South C on Friday morning.
The search and rescue team retrieved the body from the rubble on the third day of the search.
Officials said they hoped to find a second body.
This happened on Sunday at the scene where a 14-storey building collapsed on Friday morning.
The body was recovered at about 1.30 pm on Sunday, January 4, as rescue teams pressed on with the operation.
The recovery effort entered its third day on Sunday, with emergency teams from the Nairobi County Government, the Disaster Management Unit, the Kenya Red Cross and other agencies like the police.
Speaking to the press earlier in the day, Assistant Inspector General of Police Dr Duncan Ochieng, the operations commander, said the search operation was about 65 per cent complete.
Police said their investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Among those so far grilled include the developer and county officials.
The developers told police the house had been sold to potential buyers.
Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku said Saturday that the building collapse happened at around 4.05 am on January 2, 2026, at the South C Shopping Centre area.
He said immediately after receiving the report, a multi-agency emergency response under the leadership of the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) was activated.
Ruku said that NDMU Director Ochieng is serving as the Incident Commander, with a fully operational Incident Command System already in place at the scene.
“The incident management team is working day and night, deploying specialised skills, equipment, and proven urban search and rescue techniques, while taking full advantage of the golden rescue window associated with building collapse incidents,” he said.
Ruku noted that the government response is focused on four key objectives which include ensuring the safety of first responders and the public, conducting search and rescue operations for suspected victims, opening blocked roads and restoring normalcy around South C Shopping Centre, and carrying out debris clearance once rescue priorities allow.
He also cautioned against speculative information stating that the collapsed structure is a 14-storey building with a basement parking that suffered a complete pancake-type collapse.
He said the cause of the collapse has not yet been established and that investigations have been launched by a multi-sectoral team comprising agencies, including the National Police Service, National Construction Authority, National Building Inspectorate, Engineers Board of Kenya, BORAQS, NEMA and Nairobi City County Government, among others.
“Any person or group of people found culpable will be held fully accountable in accordance with the laws of Kenya,” he stated.
Ruku commended emergency responders drawn from the National Police Service, Kenya Defence Forces Disaster Response Battalion, Nairobi City County, National Youth Service, Kenya Red Cross, St John Ambulance and other agencies, saying they continue to work under hazardous conditions in service to the nation.