Nairobi Building Collapse Sends Tremors to Mogadishu

A multi-storey building under construction collapsed around 1 p.m. on October 23 in Nairobi’s Eastleigh neighborhood; the number of people still trapped was unknown, and rescue work continued late into the night. Somalia’s ambassador to Kenya, Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle, confirmed deaths and damage to businesses, including an electronics shop, a butchery, and a grocery store on the ground floor. Registered in 2025 to 9th Street Plaza Limited, the building was being constructed by Stromax Holdings E.A Limited. The collapse struck a major commercial hub for Nairobi’s Somali community, where Somali investors have reportedly put more than US$1.5 billion into the city’s economy over the past two decades.