At least two workers died after a wall of a house under construction collapsed in Nairobi’s Parklands area along Suswa Road. The wall, part of the building’s basement, came down amid heavy rains on Saturday. Authorities attributed the collapse to both the weather and unsafe construction practices, noting the wall had been erected along the land’s boundary beacons, posing risks to neighboring properties.
Nairobi County’s Chief Officer for Urban Planning, Patrick Analo, said the construction site had already been condemned and that the developer must present himself for questioning. Several workers were previously arrested at the same location for conducting excavation work without approved architectural plans.
A video from the site showed desperate attempts by workers to rescue trapped colleagues before another section of the wall gave way, forcing them to flee. Emergency responders later retrieved the bodies and transported them to the mortuary.
Officials from the county, police, and the National Construction Authority are investigating the incident, which has amplified calls for tighter regulation and enforcement in the construction industry.
The Parklands incident is the latest in a string of deadly accidents in Nairobi’s building sector. Last week, 37-year-old Linet Maina died after falling from the fifth floor of a construction site in Kariokor. In another case, Frankline Makori, 42, succumbed to injuries after falling from the seventh floor of a site in Eastleigh on May 6. Investigations are underway in all cases.
