Rescue teams have been deployed to Ugembo in Kisii County after a five-storey building under construction collapsed, raising fears that people could be trapped beneath the debris.
The Kenya Red Cross said its personnel were at the site as part of a joint operation involving county response teams, police and fire and rescue officers. The teams were searching the wreckage for people believed to have been inside the building when it came down.
“The Kenya Red Cross is currently responding alongside County response teams, PoliceKE and Fire and Rescue Services in a multi-agency search and rescue operation for persons believed to be trapped,” the organisation said in a statement on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
Emergency medical support has also been mobilised, with county ambulances and EMS Kenya personnel at the scene to respond to people who may be found injured during the search.
“County ambulance services and EMS Kenya are also on scene providing emergency medical support,” the Kenya Red Cross said.
The full extent of the incident was not immediately clear, as authorities had yet to establish how many people were inside the structure when it collapsed.
The Kenya Red Cross had also not confirmed any deaths or injuries at the time of its update. There was no immediate confirmation that anyone had been pulled from the rubble.
Rescue personnel continued to comb through the collapsed structure as efforts focused on locating anyone who may have been caught inside. Police, fire and rescue officers, county teams and the Kenya Red Cross were working together at the site.
The circumstances surrounding the collapse were also yet to be established. Authorities had not given details on what may have caused the five-storey structure to come down while it was still under construction.
The incident has brought emergency responders to Ugembo as they work to assess the site and establish the situation on the ground. The presence of ambulances and medical personnel means those found with injuries can receive immediate attention.
The number of people who may have been affected remained unknown as the rescue effort continued. Responders were still working through the debris to determine whether there were people trapped underneath.
The Kenya Red Cross issued the update while the multi-agency operation was ongoing, with emergency teams focused on the search rather than providing a final account of casualties.
Authorities are expected to give more details after the rescue teams have assessed the site and established whether anyone was trapped inside the collapsed building.
For now, the priority remains reaching any people who could still be beneath the rubble, while medical teams remain ready to treat survivors recovered from the site.