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Fire in Korogocho market a day after 15 people burnt in Gikomba

Perennial market fires is a major issue of concern in Nairobi. Photo/MOSES MUOKI.

NAIROBI, Kenya, June 29 – Property of unknown value was on Thursday night destroyed in a fire that razed Korogocho market in Nairobi, a day after a similar incident at Gikomba-the city’ largest open air market, where 15 people were burnt to death.

According to the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), “there were no casualties” in the incident that raises serious concerns on the actual cause of the fires razing markets in quick succession.

Two Members of Parliament have already called for thorough investigations, while citing arson as the most probable cause of the perennial fire incidents in Gikomba market, blamed on business rivalry or private developers eyeing the prime land.

Starehe Member of Parliament Charles Kanyi alias ‘Jaguar’ who visited victims at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) wants police to take the matter seriously.

“This matter should be probed with a lot of seriousness it deserves because it’s not just property but lives have been lost. This time, the perpetrators of this incident must be found and brought to book,” he said.

Similar concerns were raised by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja who called for a speedy probe into the incident.

“These incidents should not be made to look normal. Police should probe the matter with zeal,” Sakaja said when he visited the scene.

President Uhuru Kenyatta in the meantime assured that the national Government and Nairobi County will work together in reviewing the country’s emergency services, and disaster preparedness.

In a statement issued soon after the fire in Gikomba market, the Head of State said that the government owes the victims, and Kenyans, a clear and credible plan to end the fires.

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“Prayer will be followed by action: we will support victims and their families through this difficult time; we will fully investigate the cause of the fire; and we will work to make sure that no such tragedy recurs,” the president said.

A large fire destroyed a large section of Gikomba market in October last year, three years after the 2014 Al Shabaab attack that left ten people dead.

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