3 still missing as Eastleigh building collapse rescue mission ends after 2 weeks: What next

3 still missing as police conclude search & rescue mission at collapsed Eastleigh building: what next

The search and rescue mission at the 18-storey building that collapsed in Eastleigh has officially been concluded with three people initially reported missing still unaccounted for.

Operations Commander Dr William Sifuna confirmed on Friday, November 6, 2026 that the search and rescue mission has been concluded, paving the way for clearnace of the debris and resumption of normal operations.

“We don't have any other expected recovery or rescue. We are closing the site and giving the area OCPD an opportunity to take over. We are now calling off the exercise. There is an operation to clear the debris so that the owner can seal off the site. We are also opening the road,” he said.

Nairobi North County Commissioner Simon Osumba confirmed that the operation was concluded after the multi-agency teams accessed all sections of the collapsed building, rescuing survivors and recovering bodies of the casualties.

“We are calling off the exercise today after having managed to reach all the basements of the building which collapsed,” Osumba said.

The operation began on October 23, 2026 when the ill-fated building collapsed, trapping several people and dragged on for two weeks as families hang on to hope of being reunited with their loved ones.

The operation saw four survivors who had been trapped in the rubble rescued and reunited with their families.

Sadly, eight others did not make it out alive with the rescue teams recovering their bodies and informing their loved ones and the process of identifying the deceased commencing.

Of the bodies recovered, six were women and two were men, with DNA testing and post-mortem examinations underway at the Nairobi City Mortuary.

Even as the exercise concluded, the family of three other people who were initially reported missing following the collapse of the building are still seeking answers on the whereabouts of their kins.

According to Nairobi North County Commissioner Simon Osumba, the National Police Service will now take up the matter and engage the families, with the trio now being treated as missing persons following the conclusion of the rescue operation.

“They are now going to be treated as missing persons. We are opening the area for business to resume. We will supervise as the owner fences the site with mabati,” Osumba stated.

The focus now shifts to investigations to establish what caused the tragedy and accountability on the part of those responsible amid a growing public concern that despite the country recorded many incidents of buildings collapsing, accountability remains a missing piece of the puzzle with the relevant authorities moving on swiftly until the next tragedy jolts them back to reality, with terse statements that yield little results becoming the norm.

The exercise, which dragged on for two weeks, saw Kenya’s capacity to respond to similar tragedies come into question, with both leaders and the public criticizing the slow pace of the exercise.

Despite assurance from the country’s top leadership, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen that the government had deployed all resources at its disposal to respond to the tragedy, the exercise dragged on for two weeks with distraught families and a section of Kenyans expressing concern that some of those who may have survived the tragedy could end up dying end up dying as a result of suffocation, thirst, hunger or injuries, leading to loss of lives that would have otherwise been saved.