Four Injured as Former Club Avenida Building Collapses During Nairobi Demolition

The collapse occurred near MKU Union Towers, opposite Mageso Chambers, where the Magereza DT Sacco headquarters are located. Workers were reportedly dismantling the structure to make way for a new development when part of the building gave way.

What Happened

The incident happened during a nighttime demolition exercise. Preliminary reports indicated that supporting metal beams on the less stable side of the building were cut, potentially triggering the structural failure. However, authorities had not established the exact cause of the collapse at the time of initial reports.

Witnesses said about 25 people were inside the building when it collapsed. Police officers and emergency responders rushed to the scene after reports emerged that several people could have been trapped beneath the rubble.

By around 1:00 am, all 25 people reported to have been inside the building had reportedly been accounted for. Despite this, responders were still searching for a man believed to be trapped under the debris, reflecting the difficulty of assessing casualties in the immediate aftermath of a structural collapse.

The National Disaster Management Unit confirmed that the four injured people had been taken to hospital. Three were reported to be in stable condition, while one was critically injured.

County Response

Nairobi City County Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service Geoffrey Mosiria confirmed the incident and visited the site. He said the fact that the collapse happened at night, when human traffic along Moi Avenue was minimal, may have prevented a more serious tragedy.

Mosiria called for a thorough investigation into the demolition. He asked county engineers to establish the cause of the collapse, determine whether qualified experts supervised the exercise, and verify whether all necessary demolition approvals had been obtained.

He also appealed to developers to comply with county regulations and to consult county engineers during construction and demolition work. According to Mosiria, such consultations are essential to protect workers and members of the public.

Safety Questions

The incident has renewed concerns about demolition safety and regulatory oversight in Nairobi. Demolition work in densely built areas such as the CBD carries significant risks because collapsing structures can affect neighbouring buildings, pedestrians, workers and road users.

The reported cutting of supporting beams before the collapse will likely form a central part of the investigation. In demolition projects, structural supports are often removed in a controlled sequence; if this is done incorrectly, or without adequate assessment of the building’s condition, it can cause an uncontrolled collapse.

Key questions investigators are expected to examine include whether the demolition had valid approvals, whether qualified engineers were involved, whether the site was properly secured, and whether workers and bystanders were kept at a safe distance. Mosiria specifically highlighted approvals and professional supervision as issues that must be verified.

Broader Concern

The Moi Avenue collapse comes amid continuing public anxiety over building safety in Nairobi. Previous incidents in areas including South C, Westlands, Shauri Moyo, Kibera and Gikomba have kept attention on construction standards, enforcement and the risks associated with poorly regulated building work.

The incident also follows a separate deadly collapse in Nairobi’s Shauri Moyo area in March 2026, when a building being dismantled under the Nairobi River Regeneration Project collapsed during a planned demolition, killing at least four people and injuring others. That earlier incident similarly raised questions about demolition procedures and oversight.

What Remains Unclear

Several details remained unconfirmed in the immediate aftermath. Authorities had not publicly identified the injured victims, disclosed the hospital where they were receiving treatment, or confirmed the identity of the man still being searched for beneath the rubble.

It was also not immediately clear which company or individual was carrying out the demolition, what approvals had been issued, or whether any enforcement action would follow. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and the County Government had not issued a formal statement by the time of early reports.

For now, the confirmed facts are that four people were injured, one critically; the building formerly housed Club Avenida; the collapse occurred during demolition along Moi Avenue; and county officials have ordered an investigation into the cause, supervision and approvals surrounding the project.