Uthiru Collapsed Building: Red Cross Says All Tenants Have Been Accounted For

• Kenya Red Cross Society indicated that 10 people had been rescued from the collapsed building in Uthiru
• The rescue team said the 10 were treated on site, while another woman who had been rescued by neighbours was taken to hospital
• According to the emergency responders, all the tenants in the five-storey building had been accounted for

Michael Ollinga is a journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 10 years of experience covering courts and crimes, special reports, and current affairs in Kenya.

Kiambu: All the tenants living in a five-storey building that collapsed in Uthiru on Tuesday, May 7, have been accounted for.

Uthiru five-storey building collapses

There was a scare after the building located near the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) began sinking at around 7 p.m., trapping several people, including children, inside.

The Kenya Red Cross Society, which was among the first responders to arrive at the site, initially said that it was not clear how many people were trapped.

However, on Wednesday, May 8, the society indicated that at least 10 people had been rescued from the debris and attended to at the site and in the hospital.

Tenants rescued from collapsed Uthiru building

"One female rescued at the onset of the incident was taken to the hospital by well-wishers. 10 others were treated at the scene by the Red Cross Action team. As of now, all tenants have been accounted for," Red Cross posted on X.

According to the Red Cross, the 10 people who were attended to at the site had sustained minor injuries. No deaths were confirmed.

A multi-agency team comprising the Kenya Red Cross, the Nairobi County Fire Brigade, and the National Police Service was at the scene.

It is not clear why the building with tenants on the lower floors collapsed.

Some Kenyans, however, complained that the rescue teams took over two hours to respond to the distress call of the casualties.

Nairobi disaster management team under fire from Kenyans

"Rescue teams arrived at the scene of the collapsed apartment complex in Uthiru after two hours and twenty minutes. If the catastrophic rains have proven anything, it's that we have to demand better disaster mitigation and response, as well as a thorough audit of buildings. Unfortunately, such audits become opportunities for the oiling of hands, and the cycle continues," David Ndung'u Maina said.

This comes even as the Nairobi County disaster management department was put on the spot over employing unqualified individuals to lead the firefighting and other emergency response teams.

The Senate found out that some principal fire officers in Nairobi were career theologists, librarians, and disaster management officers who were trained in tour and travel.

Senator Edwin Sifuna said the mismatch of skills was an injustice to Nairobi residents and called for staff reshuffling and redeployment.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.