At least six people were injured on Wednesday February 11 morning after a building under construction collapsed at the junction of Racecourse Road and Kirinyaga Road in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD), once again drawing attention to deep safety gaps in the Nairobi real estate market.
Police confirmed that the incident occurred in the early hours of February 11 near the busy OTC area in downtown Nairobi. A total of twelve workers were rescued from the rubble following the collapse.
The Kenya Red Cross confirmed that its emergency response teams were immediately dispatched to the site and that all workers who had been on the premises at the time of the incident were later accounted for. The injured were rushed to hospital for treatment.
Authorities have launched investigations to establish the exact cause of the structural failure.
Growing alarm in Nairobi’s property market
The latest incident adds to rising concerns within the property market in Kenya, particularly in Nairobi where rapid urbanisation and soaring demand for commercial and residential space continue to reshape the skyline.
Nairobi remains the country’s most active construction hub, driven by demand for office blocks, rental apartments and mixed-use developments. However, industry experts warn that weak enforcement of construction standards has created serious risks within the wider Real estate Kenya sector.
In many cases, developers are accused of bypassing approvals, engaging unqualified contractors, or using substandard construction materials—practices that directly threaten public safety and undermine confidence in the city’s fast-growing Nairobi commercial property and Nairobi residential developments.
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Third major collapse in Nairobi this year
The Kirinyaga Road collapse is the third major building failure recorded in Nairobi this year.
On January 2, a 16-storey building under construction in South C collapsed, killing at least two people and trapping several others. Rescue operations lasted several days as emergency teams searched through the debris.
Just over a week later, on January 10, another residential development under construction in the Karen area also collapsed, leaving two people dead and seven others injured.
Preliminary investigations conducted by the Nairobi City County Government and the National Construction Authority pointed to structural weaknesses caused by poor workmanship and the use of substandard materials.
These repeated incidents continue to expose serious weaknesses within the construction sector in Kenya, particularly in fast-growing urban zones where demand for new housing and commercial space is at its highest.
Professionals warn most Nairobi buildings may be unsafe
Industry bodies, including the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) and the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK), have repeatedly warned that a significant portion of Nairobi’s building stock may be unsafe for occupation.
According to the professional associations, between 80 and 85 per cent of buildings in Nairobi may not fully meet safety and compliance standards—an alarming statistic for both homebuyers and investors seeking property investment in Nairobi.
These warnings echo earlier findings by the National Construction Authority, which revealed that 58 per cent of buildings in the capital were unfit for human habitation following a nationwide audit ordered after a wave of fatal collapses in 2015.
What this means for investors and developers
The latest collapse in the CBD highlights a growing credibility challenge for Nairobi property developers operating within one of East Africa’s most competitive real estate environments.
For investors, tenants and buyers, the incident reinforces the importance of due diligence, regulatory compliance and independent project verification before committing capital in the Nairobi CBD real estate segment or in emerging residential zones.
As Nairobi continues to expand vertically and horizontally, strengthening enforcement of building regulations in Kenya is increasingly seen as critical to protecting lives, restoring confidence in the sector and sustaining long-term growth of the wider property market in Kenya.
