DPP sets 7-day deadline for police probe into South C building collapse

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga has directed Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to record statements from the developer, contractor and all officials involved in the approval, inspection and enforcement of the collapsed South C building, as investigations into the deadly incident intensify.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Office of the DPP said the police have been instructed to take statements from “all relevant persons including the developer and the contractor, and the persons responsible for the relevant building and construction approvals, inspections and enforcement,” and forward the investigation file for perusal and action within seven days.

The directive follows the tragic collapse of a 16-storey building in South C, Nairobi, on January 2, 2026.

The DPP said he had taken note “with the greatest of concerns” reports circulating in both mainstream and social media regarding the incident, which left two people trapped under rubble.

He expressed sympathy with affected families, noting that the ODPP empathises with “family members of those that were and are still trapped under the debris of the collapsed building,” and extends “his most sincere sympathies” to them.

To ensure accountability, the DPP has also directed the Police IG to immediately initiate or expedite investigations into the circumstances surrounding the collapse and submit a comprehensive report to his office within seven days.

“Towards holding every person who enabled the unsafe construction to account, whether public or private individuals,” the statement reads, the investigations are intended to establish responsibility for the failure that led to the disaster.

The prosecutorial directive comes as search and rescue operations at the South C site continue.

On Sunday, Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku confirmed that one body had been recovered from the rubble, even as families waited anxiously for news of their loved ones.

“At 12:30 hours of the recovery process, the body of a young adult was recovered,” CS Ruku said, adding that the search and rescue operation was about 70 percent complete.

He cautioned that the remaining work would take time, noting that the operation is delicate and requires careful handling, while assuring families that the government is fully committed to the exercise.

The building, which collapsed in a pancake-type failure, is under investigation by multiple agencies as rescue efforts and debris clearance continue under a multi-agency command structure led by the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU).