A family in Imara Daima is still reeling in shock following the tragic death of their kin after a building under construction collapsed in South C, Nairobi County.
Ali Adan Galgallo, a security guard, was one of the two people who lost their lives in the ill-fated building which collapsed early this month.
Adan had just started working a few days at the site when tragedy struck. At the time of his death, Adan’s wife and their three children aged 5, 4, and 2 were upcountry, where he had left them to seek employment in Nairobi.
Edin Bagajo Sharamo, father of Ali Adan, a 30-year-old security guard who died following the collapse of a multi-storey building in South C, Nairobi, speaks during an interview at his home in South B, on January 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Adan’s death, according his father Edin Bagajo Sharamo, has given them additional responsibilities of taking care of his young family.
“I’m only demanding justice for my son and his children. Now I’m the one who is taking them to school and providing for them. Whatever we receive will go to my son’s family. Our religion does not allow us to touch what belongs to the family of the deceased,” Mr Sharamo said.
Hassan Bule Huka, an uncle of the deceased, said the family wants those who slept on the job, leading to the tragic incident, held accountable.
“He was his family’s only breadwinner. This is where he used to sleep during the day since he would work every night. His death came as a big shock to us,” Mr Galgallo said.
The site of the of collapsed building in South C, Nairobi on January 3, 2026.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
At the same time, the family has asked the government to speed up investigations into the incident. The family expressed gratitude to a group of well-wishers who visited their home on Wednesday.
“This family has not been visited or received any feedback since the death of my son. The only help that we saw was during the search of the body. No one has come to this home apart from this team from Lang’ata, which has brought some help to us,” Adan’s mother, Hawa Hassan, said.
“He had three girls and now we don’t know what to do,” Ms Hawa said.
Hawa Hassan, the mother of Ali Adan, a 30-year-old security guard who died after a multi-storey building collapsed in South C, Nairobi, speaks during an interview at her workplace in South B, on January 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
This comes amid calls for the arrest of the people who failed to play their role in the approval of the collapsed 16-storey building.
Lang’ata ODM youth leader Brian Omondi Midiwo, who was among the well wishers who visited the family, said the people who approved the building’s construction should have been arrested by now.
A group of leaders from Langata, led by ODM youth leader and Langata aspirant Brian Omondi Midiwo (left), offers support to the family of the late Ali Adan, a 30-year-old security guard who died following the collapse of a multi-storey building in South C, Nairobi, as assistance is presented to the victim’s mother Hawa Hassan (centre) and Hassan Bule (right) during an interview at their home in South B, on January 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation
“We are here to commiserate with the family. What happened could have been prevented if the people who are given the job of approving the construction of buildings would have done their job. Our desire is to stand with this family until they are fully compensated,” Mr Midiwo said.
He also asked Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and the area leaders to ensure the affected families are taken care as investigation continues.
Search and rescue operations by National Disaster Management Unit, Nairobi City County, the National Police Service and the Kenya Red Cross at the site of the collapsed building in South C, Nairobi.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
When the incident happened, Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku said stern action would be taken against those found culpable.
Meanwhile, the National Construction Authority is expected to issue a comprehensive report on the materials which were used to construct the building.
The developer and the county officials have already recorded their statements at Lang’ata DCI office, which is leading the investigation.
