Nairobi County ordered the evacuation and demolition of the Kabiria Road apartment building.
Nairobi County has ordered tenants out of a 10-storey Kabiria Road building and directed its demolition over structural defects and planning violations.
A Riruta apartment evacuation has displaced about 90 families after inspectors found serious structural defects in the 10-storey building. Nairobi City County ordered occupants to leave the property along Kabiria Road immediately and directed its demolition.
Residents said the county declared the apartment unsafe because of extensive cracks. Some tenants left personal belongings behind as authorities secured the premises.
The evacuation also caught some occupants off guard, leaving them little time to gather their possessions. One tenant said some residents were still asleep when the notice arrived and hurried out with belongings remaining inside.
Police supervised the evacuation. On November 1, officers also guarded the building to prevent unauthorised access.
Riruta apartment evacuation follows safety declaration
The county formally declared the property dangerous and ruinous on October 31, and officials marked it in red. Its notice cited violations of the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019, and the Building Code, 2024.
In addition, the notice stated that the development lacked the required planning permissions. The county directed the demolition of the entire 10-level structure alongside the immediate evacuation order.
Meanwhile, emergency teams continue searching for at least 11 people trapped beneath a collapsed building in Eastleigh. The 18-storey structure collapsed on October 23 on 9th Street along Yusuf Haji Highway, triggering a major rescue operation.
The National Disaster Management Unit said rescue teams had found several survivors alive, while one person was dead. The Riruta evacuation comes amid renewed concerns about building safety following recent collapses in Nairobi.
