Third deadly building collapse in three weeks in Nairobi kills 3, injures 11

A perimeter wall at a construction site in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, collapsed on Saturday morning (November 14), killing at least three people and injuring 11 — the third fatal building collapse in the city in three weeks.

The wall gave way at about 11:30 a.m. local time at a site in Riverside, in the Ngara district, opposite the Grand Residence, burying workers beneath bricks and debris. Nairobi County disaster officials said three people had died and 11 injured workers were rescued and taken to hospital. The Kenya Red Cross confirmed the incident, and rescue teams searched the rubble for anyone trapped. The main building was still at the excavation and foundation stage.

Third collapse in three weeks; at least 17 dead

The accident came a day after another collapse in Syokimau, along the Mombasa Road corridor, where an eight-storey building under construction gave way on November 13, killing six workers and injuring five; all 405 people at that site were eventually accounted for. On October 23, an 18-storey building under construction in Eastleigh collapsed, killing eight people. Together the three incidents have killed at least 17 people. Figures from Kenya's Ministry of Lands show the country has recorded about 100 building collapses in 30 years, with more than 40 deaths in the last five years alone.

The cause of the latest collapse is under investigation. The Kenya Meteorological Department has forecast above-average rainfall in several counties, including Nairobi, during the October-to-December short rains, renewing attention on construction safety.

(File photo: a building under construction in Nairobi, not the scene of the collapse. Image: Demar)