Eastleigh Building Collapse:
Rescue teams at the collapsed building along Ninth Street in Eastleigh, Nairobi, have retrieved a decomposed female body, days after it was first spotted beneath the rubble, as families continue to endure an agonising wait for news of their missing relatives.
The recovery comes amid growing frustration among families who say rescue operations have stalled, with two people reportedly detected beneath the debris by Chinese experts using specialised thermal imaging equipment more than 24 hours ago.
For six agonising days, Ronald Mutua has remained outside the collapsed building, hoping for news of his wife and cousin, who were working in the building when it came crashing down.
With a jacket draped over his arm, Mutua has made the site his temporary home, receiving relatives who frequently visit seeking updates about their loved ones.
However, the prolonged rescue operation has left the family struggling to maintain hope, with no significant breakthrough in reaching the sections where their relatives are believed to be trapped.
Mutua's brother, Paul Muimi, questioned the pace of the operation, particularly the number of machines deployed to clear the rubble.
"How long are we going to wait? Why are there only about two machines doing this work when Kenya has so many machines? If it were demonstrations, all the machines would have been brought here. Why can't they bring all the machines and make this operation easier?" Muimi questioned.
He said the family was increasingly losing hope as the days passed without tangible progress.
"So far, there is no success, no results. I have reached a point where I have lost hope," he added.
The National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU), which is coordinating the rescue operation, has however maintained that there are indications that people could still be alive beneath the rubble.
NDMU Director Dr. Duncan Ochieng said specialised acoustic life detectors had been deployed again, with the equipment continuing to indicate possible signs of life.
"We have again used the specialised acoustic life detectors and there is still an indication of life. We are making progress towards reaching those who are still trapped," Ochieng said.
Nairobi North County Commissioner Simon Osumba said authorities were also using mobile phone records to establish the whereabouts of people who may have been inside the building when it collapsed.
He said nine people had been identified through Safaricom signal data as having made their last communications from the area, while authorities were awaiting information on four others.
Three additional cases were pending as relatives had not provided the missing persons' telephone numbers.
Rescue teams say they have cleared approximately 80 per cent of the debris, reaching the ground floor and basement where several businesses operated.
Although some personal belongings have been recovered, several shop occupants remain unaccounted for, complicating efforts to establish the full number of people affected by the collapse.
Meanwhile, questions are mounting over the structural integrity of the building and whether proper construction procedures were followed.
Yassin Munyanya, Treasurer of the Architectural Association of Kenya, raised concerns over the absence of structural drawings, pointing to the building's columns as a possible indication of structural failure.
"From the first instance, there is no copy of the structural drawings. The columns are a sign of a structural failure," Munyanya said.
Separately, detectives investigating the collapse have questioned one of the building's three developers alongside officials from Nairobi County, the National Building Inspectorate and the National Construction Authority (NCA).
The investigators are seeking to establish how the project was approved, whether the required construction standards were observed and whether the relevant agencies carried out their oversight responsibilities.
More individuals are expected to record statements as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the collapse continue.
The rescue operation has also been disrupted by reported attacks on truck drivers transporting debris away from the site.
Rescue officials have warned that the incidents are slowing the removal of rubble and interfering with efforts to access sections of the collapsed structure.
As the operation enters another difficult phase, families are demanding additional machinery, faster debris clearance and better coordination, hoping rescuers can reach those still believed to be trapped before it is too late.
