Rescuers were yesterday searching for five people trapped in the debris of a six-storey building that collapsed in Kware, Embakasi, on Monday night.
The National Disaster Management Unit deputy director Pius Masai said 128 people had been evacuated, and only five were still trapped in the fourth and fifth floors.
But relatives said three middle-aged men on the sixth floor and a woman with two children on the second floor were answering calls, and said they were safe but in darkness.
The ill-fated building had 112 people but one room had not been occupied.
Governor Evans Kidero said they are appealing to the developer of the house to share its maps and plans to help the rescuers.
He said the house was built illegally and without approval in 2007.
“This building was never approved by the county government when it was built. It was one of the buildings that was marked for demolition, but because of issues of security we had not demolished it.
“I want to appeal to the developer to come to City Hall as soon as possible to give us drawings to help us know how to sift through the rubbles and know where the corridors are and where people could be found,” Kidero said.
Nairobi regional coordinator Bernard Leparmao said police are looking for the owner of the building, only identified as Kinuthia.
The Kenya Defence Forces, NYS and police said operations were hampered by lack of heavy excavation machines and poor roads.
“There has been delays because of the state of the roads,” a police officer in charge of the operations said, noting rescue operations were still ongoing.
Witnesses said the building had been condemned after a number of cracks opened up on its walls.
Kenya has seen similar tragedies in the past. A total of 49 people died mid-last year when a building collapsed during a heavy, nighttime downpour in Huruma.