A tragic incident unfolded at Nairobi's Gikomba Market on the evening of Thursday, June 25, when a building suddenly gave way, killing at least two people and leaving others trapped beneath the rubble.
The collapse occurred in the Block B section of the sprawling open-air trading centre, an area that had already been weakened by a devastating fire just days earlier.
Witnesses who spoke to journalists at the scene painted a grim picture of what happened. According to their accounts, a group of young men were inside the building collecting scrap metal and dismantling parts of the weakened structure when the walls suddenly caved in without warning.
The building, which had sustained extensive structural damage from a massive fire that tore through Gikomba Market last Sunday morning, was no longer able to bear its own weight.
The Nairobi County government and police have not yet released any official updates identifying the deceased or providing further details about the incident.
However, rescue teams worked through the night searching through piles of broken concrete, twisted metal, and other debris in a desperate effort to reach those trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
The Kenya Red Cross and the Nairobi City County Fire Brigade coordinated their efforts throughout the operation, with firefighters and rescue personnel working under floodlights to comb through the wreckage.
Emergency responders remained on high alert as traders and residents gathered around the scene, anxiously awaiting news of those who were still missing.
The Kenya Red Cross confirmed that it had deployed first responders to support the rescue mission and announced its readiness to provide psychosocial support to families affected by the tragedy.
The collapse has once again brought attention to the persistent safety challenges at Gikomba Market, one of Kenya's largest open-air trading centres.
The market has experienced repeated fires and safety incidents over the years, with traders frequently calling on the county government to intervene and implement better safety measures.
Just days before this collapse, the massive fire had destroyed stalls and left sections of the market's infrastructure severely damaged, raising questions about how structures that were so visibly compromised were still accessible to people.
By the time the Kenya Red Cross announced that the overnight search-and-retrieval exercise had concluded, the full extent of the tragedy had become clear.
The incident underscores the urgent need for authorities to address safety conditions at the market and ensure that damaged buildings are properly secured to prevent further loss of life.
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