Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has announced the discontinuation of the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers who had been deployed to assist with the emergency demolition of a building in Mombasa's CBD.
In a gazette notice dated May 9, Tuya announced that the deployment of the KDF officers had been discontinued following the completion of the intended exercise. The officers had been deployed to help with the controlled demolition, the first of its kind in the country, of the eleven-storeyed building situated at Kilifi Corner, Fayaz Estate, along Abdel Nasser Road, Mombasa County, that began sinking on April 2, 2025. ''Pursuant to section 34 (3) (a) of the Kenya Defense Forces Act, notice is given that on the 9th April 2025, the Kenya Defence Forces discontinued its deployment in the responses to the emergency at the eleven-storeyed building situated at Kilifi Corner Fayaz Estate along Abdel Nasser Road, Mombasa County, that began sinking on 2nd April, 2025, endangering adjacent residential and commercial buildings,'' the notice by Tuya read in part. Defence CS Soipan Tuya during a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Kenya Matsuura Hiroshi, at the Defence Headquarters on February 5, 2025.
Photo Ministry of Defence The demolition, which occurred on Wednesday, April 9, was necessitated by the building's feared collapse, with residents raising alarm over the risk it posed. Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sherrif Nassir announced that the building had severe foundational compromise due to unapproved borehole drilling into the foundation, with ground floor columns collapsing by approximately three meters. Following an assessment, residents living near the building were ordered to immediately evacuate and move to safer regions ahead of its demolition in a multi-agency operation, with CS Tuya announcing the deployment of KDF personnel.
The KDF officers worked jointly with officers from the National Police Service (NPS) to ensure the safety of the residents during the demolition process.
