County News
9 die, 60 injured and properties worth millions lost as fire razes Gikomba market in Nairobi
Wild fire razes Gikomba market in Nairobi causing deaths and destruction, (Courtesy)
NAIROBI—At least nine people are feared dead and more than 50 injured after a night fire, once again, gutted a section of Gikomba in the capital Nairobi on Thursday morning.
The incident also left many traders with losses after a section that deals with timber and clothes near Kamkunji area was gutted.
According to St. John’s Ambulance, those injured have been rushed to the Kenyatta National Hospital.
“Property worth millions destroyed after a fire outbreak at Nairobi’s Gikomba market at 2AM,” the agency added.
Some of the victims burned while others choked after inhaling poisonous fumes as they battled to save and salvage their property.
Police say they are yet to establish the cause of the fire.
Gikomba Market located in Majengo area is mostly known for its traders who sell second-hand clothes.
This is not the first time that the market stalls have been razed to the ground and the frequent occurrence of such incidents has raised eyebrows in different quarters with it being labeled the “annual Gikomba Market Fire Festival.”
Two years ago, a similar inferno destroyed property worth millions, Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan alleged that the incidents were an attempt to edge out traders from the land.
County’s fire engines are still at the scene.
