Nairobi building collapse: Girl rescued after being trapped for four days

Officials say owner of building did not have permission to rent out the rooms

Kenyan Red Cross staff with a 18-month-old toddler rescued alive from the rubble of a six-storey building on May 2 (AFP/ Getty)

A one-year-old girl has been rescued from the rubble of a building in Kenya’s capital after it collapsed following heavy rain, the Kenya Red Cross said.

At least 21 people have died in the floods, which caused a six-storey building to collapse in the eastern Huruma suburb on Friday evening.

The girl had been trapped for more than 72 hours after she was rescued around 4am local time.

She was found in a bucket wrapped in a blanket, with no visible injuries.

“She was rescued and was severely dehydrated. She is currently receiving medical attention at Kenyatta National Hospital,” Red Cross spokeswoman Arnolda Shiundu said.

More people are thought to still be buried under the rubble, but aid workers said the chance of finding more survivors was unlikely.

“In conditions of no air, dirt, no food, no water, it's very difficult for that person to stay alive,” Red Cross official Anthony Mwangi said.

Rescuers managed to pull out 128 people after the collapse, according to Kenya Police.

President Uhru Kenyatta said survivors would be given temporary shelter at the nearby Saima primary school.

The owner of the building, Samuel Karanja Kamau, was arrested on Monday after officials said he did not have permission to rent out the 119 rooms. He will appear in court on Tuesday.

Last year, Mr Kenyatta ordered an audit of all the buildings in the country after a spate of collapses and a seven-story building collapses in the same district last year.

The report from the audit by the National Construction Authority found that 58 per cent of buildings in the capital were unfit to live in.

More than 1,000 homes have been displaced by the flooding, according to Kenya’s Red Cross.