NAIROBI, Kenya — A four-storey building still under construction collapsed in Itierio, Kisii County on Sunday, April 6, sparking a frantic rescue operation as emergency teams comb through the rubble searching for survivors.
The collapse, which occurred near Itierio Mixed Primary School, has not only left an unknown number of people feared trapped but also affected neighboring homes and businesses.
Local authorities confirmed that looting was reported around the site amid the chaos.
Located roughly 15 kilometers from Kisii Town along the busy Kisii-Migori Highway, Itierio is a bustling area not far from Suneka Market—and now, the epicenter of a tragedy.
Tragedy in Kisii as incomplete four-storey building collapses; authorities suspect multiple people are trapped.
According to initial reports, parts of the collapsed building also fell onto surrounding structures, causing further destruction in the already densely populated area.
Kisii County emergency teams, with support from the police and local volunteers, launched immediate rescue efforts. Survivors pulled from the wreckage were rushed to health facilities in Suneka and Kisii Town, as crews worked through the debris.
A formal statement from the Kisii County Government is expected later today, which will shed light on the total number of people affected and the suspected cause of the collapse. For now, the focus remains on saving lives.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Just three days ago, panic gripped Mombasa residents when an 11-storey building near Coast General Hospital was evacuated after alarming cracks appeared in its walls. The structure had already been partially occupied—despite still being under construction.
According to Ibrahim Basafar, Mombasa County Fire and Disaster Chief Officer, a section of the building’s basement had caved in, and the entire structure appeared dangerously tilted.
“One floor has already caved in, including the basement,” Basafar noted. “You can clearly see the structure wasn’t built with the right dimensions.”
UNKNOWN NUMBER of people trapped after four-storey building under construction collapses at Itierio area of Kisii; police on site, search and rescue ongoing.
That building’s evacuation, which happened overnight, was led by Coast Regional Commander Ali Nuno and county officials, who prioritized public safety amid fears of another disaster triggered by weeks of heavy rainfall.
The back-to-back nature of these incidents—Itierio today, Mombasa earlier this week—raises serious questions about construction oversight, building regulations, and the enforcement of safety protocols across Kenya.
While rescue operations continue in Kisii, many Kenyans are wondering: How many more buildings are ticking time bombs?
With Kenya’s rapid urbanization comes growing pressure on real estate developers—but are shortcuts being taken at the expense of human lives?
As investigations begin, both the Kisii and Mombasa incidents serve as stark reminders of what’s at stake when engineering ethics are ignored.
From Kisii to Mombasa, the message is loud and clear: Kenya’s building standards need a hard reset. Whether it’s in a rural market town or a bustling coastal city, structural integrity isn’t a luxury—it’s a matter of life and death.
As the country awaits updates from rescue teams and local authorities, one can only hope that the current tragedy forces serious introspection into how we build—and how we protect the people inside.
