Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced a multi-agency investigation into the Eastleigh building collapse in Nairobi, as rescue teams continue searching for seven people reported missing following the incident.
Murkomen said the investigation would involve the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Nairobi County government inspectors, the National Construction Authority (NCA) and the ministry responsible for housing, alongside other professionals and technical experts.
Speaking during a press briefing at the collapse site on Friday, October 23, 2026, the Interior CS said the probe would establish the circumstances surrounding the incident as authorities prioritise efforts to rescue people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
“We know that at the moment many Kenyans are concerned about what caused this incident. We will ensure that the investigations go on,” Murkomen said.
He added that the investigation would be conducted by multi-agency teams with the legal and technical responsibility to examine the collapse.
“That will include the national police service through the DCI. It will also include the county government inspectorate department. It will also include the National Construction Authority and generally the ministry responsible for housing,” he said.
The announcement comes amid growing concern over the safety of buildings in Nairobi following the collapse, which triggered an emergency response involving national government agencies, county officials and the Kenya Red Cross.
Rescue operation remains top priority
Murkomen said the immediate priority was to locate and rescue people who may still be trapped inside the collapsed structure, with emergency teams continuing operations at the scene.
“For now, our focus is on the rescue, search and rescue, and we continue supporting our rescue teams here for the benefit of the citizens of this republic,” he said.
The CS praised the response by national and county government teams, saying personnel had moved quickly to support the operation.
“There was a quick response from those both county government team and the national government team,” Murkomen said.
His remarks signalled that investigators would examine the incident while rescue teams continued working to reach anyone trapped inside the building.
67 workers accounted for
During the same briefing, Murkomen confirmed that all 67 workers who were at the site when the building collapsed had been accounted for.
He said 66 workers escaped without injuries, while one sustained injuries and was recovering in hospital.
However, seven other people had been reported missing, prompting continued efforts to establish their whereabouts.
Murkomen previously disclosed that about 11 shops on the basement and ground floors of the building had been occupied, raising concerns about whether traders, employees or other occupants were inside when the structure collapsed.
Rescue teams had also reportedly made contact with some survivors trapped inside, raising hopes that they could be brought out alive.
Authorities urged anyone who suspected a relative or acquaintance was missing and could have been inside the building to report the information through the designated emergency channel, 1199.
Investigation to establish cause of Eastleigh building collapse
The multi-agency probe is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the collapse, with police investigators and construction experts among those expected to participate.
However, Murkomen did not identify a specific cause of the incident in the statements provided during Friday’s briefing.
The investigation will be important in establishing what happened and whether any breaches of construction requirements or other safety failures contributed to the collapse.
For now, authorities face two immediate tasks: rescuing anyone still trapped inside the building and establishing the facts behind the incident as concerns over building safety in Nairobi continue to grow.
