Rescue workers on Friday recovered the body of a woman from the collapsed building in Eastleigh, Nairobi, eight days after the multi-storey structure came down, as efforts to find those still missing continued.
The building, which was under construction, collapsed along 9th Street on October 23, trapping several people beneath tonnes of concrete and debris.
Six people have been rescued over the past five days as emergency teams continue searching the site.
Rescue workers have been operating around the clock, concentrating on the lower sections of the structure, particularly the basement, where some of the missing people are believed to have been trapped.
Authorities said about 85 per cent of the debris had been cleared by Friday, allowing teams to focus on reaching the remaining sections of the building.
However, the operation has faced challenges as rescuers attempt to access areas buried beneath heavy concrete and other materials.
Nairobi North County Commissioner Simon Osumba said 16 people remained unaccounted for following a verification exercise conducted by the Kenya Red Cross and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
According to Osumba, investigators used mobile phone data to establish that nine of the missing individuals had been at the building shortly before it collapsed.
Authorities are still pursuing information in four other cases, while three families are yet to provide phone numbers to help investigators trace their missing relatives.
Hopes of finding more survivors had earlier risen after specialised rescue equipment detected possible signs of life beneath the rubble.
National Disaster Management Unit Director Dr Duncan Ochieng said rescue teams were working to reach the areas where the signals had been detected.
Meanwhile, investigations into the collapse have intensified, with authorities examining possible breaches of construction regulations and failures in building supervision.
Detectives are reportedly questioning one of the developers alongside officials from Nairobi County, the National Building Inspectorate and the National Construction Authority as investigators seek to establish what caused the building to collapse.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has directed the DCI to investigate possible negligence, omissions or misconduct involving public officials, developers and construction professionals linked to the project.
The investigation will examine whether the building received the necessary approvals, underwent proper inspections and was constructed in line with the required safety standards.
Investigators have also been directed to establish whether actions or failures by county officials, contractors, the developer or other professionals involved in the planning and construction contributed to the collapse.
The DPP clarified that, at the time of the statement, the Nairobi City County Government had not submitted an inquiry file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) concerning alleged malpractice linked to the project.
The directive was issued under Article 157(4) of the Constitution, which empowers the DPP to direct the Inspector-General of the National Police Service to investigate information or allegations of criminal conduct.
Once investigations are complete, the DCI is expected to submit its inquiry file to the ODPP for independent review and further directions.
The ODPP said appropriate prosecutorial action would be taken against anyone found criminally responsible, provided sufficient evidence is established, regardless of their position or status.
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