Two workers died at a contraction site in Parklands area in Nairobi on Saturday night, according to a police report.
The report from Nairobi Regional Police Headquarters said the two were among those working at the site when a perimeter wall from a neighbouring building collapsed, killing them instantly.
“They were working on the new foundation. The foundation works weakened the wall of a nearby building, which collapsed and killed two workers,” the report reads.
A construction site in Nairobi Parklands where two workers lost their lives after a wall collapsed on them on May 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
The incident happened around 5pm and the Kenya Red Cross and Nairobi County government emergency team responded.
Nairobi County officials who visited the site on Sunday to assess the situation have asked residents of a nearby apartment to vacate, saying the collapse of the wall may have weakened the building's foundation.
Nairobi County Chief Officer in charge of Urban Planning and Development Mr Patrick Analo told Nation that the site had been condemned, and that the developer was playing cat and mouse games with them.
“Site is closed. This was a dangerous excavation. The developer is required to present himself to authorities for further interrogation and to provide explanation why he continued to defy the law,” Mr Analo said.
He further stated that several officials had initially been arrested from the same site for undertaking an excavation without approved architectural building plans.
Also, the developer had not submitted the technical engineering report to the county.
In February this year, one person died in a building that was under construction at Rodol Road, Parklands.
According to the statement from both the National Construction Authority and Nairobi County, part of the building that was under construction in Rodol Road collapsed while workers were casting the slab, killing one instantly and leaving several others with serious injuries.
Another death had also been reported in a commercial and residential building under construction along Suswa Road.
This comes amid concerns raised by Parklands residents’ association over newly approved buildings in the area.
Also, the incident comes at the backdrop of a plea from Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Kennedy Ng’ondi urging Nairobi County MCAs to play their oversight role and stop illegal buildings in the city.
A construction site in Nairobi Parklands where two workers lost their lives after a wall collapsed on them on May 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
The Speaker accused the executive under Governor Johnson Sakaja of taking the Assembly side for a ride by overseeing development of illegal buildings in the city since when he assumed power in 2022.
“Critical area of concern is physical planning and construction area. We have left executive officials in the planning department to run affairs with little accountability. This neglect has resulted in the blatant disregard of the physical planning act, leading to the approval of the substandard building, and proliferations of rogue developers who prioritise profit over safety and quality,” Mr Ng’ondi said in his statement before the house.
The speaker stated that Section 19 of the Physical Planning Act (Cap 286) requires involvement of residence to conduct public participation before any approval of any development unfortunately,
“This has been disregarded on many occasion, resulting in realising high-rise buildings coming up in our wards and for some reasons without the knowledge of members who happen to be the custodian of their various wards. It is quite unfortunate that this has been disregarded on many occasions without strict oversight, illegal developments have continued to emerge endangering lives and contributing to Nairobi’s growing urban chaos.”
