15 People Dead, More Than 70 Injured in Gikomba Market Dawn Fire

At least 15 people have been confirmed dead while more than 70 others sustained serious burn injuries after Thursday dawn inferno razed Nairobi’s largest open air market, Gikomba.

Nine bodies are yet to be retrieved from a residential building, while six more have been taken to City Mortuary.

“At 2.30am fire broke out inside a timber shop near the Nairobi River. Four children who were rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital died on arrival,” Nairobi Regional Commissioner William Kang’ethe Thuku said.

Thuku said the fire has initially been contained by 4am, but broke out a second time. Those who sustained injuries are receiving treatment at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and other medical facilities in the city.

“Five people sustained burns above 30 percent and are in the ICU. 24 have been treated and discharged while 41 are still admitted,” acting KNH chief executive Thomas Mutie said.

A team of firefighters, police and officials from  Kenya Red Cross, Kenya Power and St. John’s Ambulance are still conducting rescue and recovery mission. Gikomba Market, which is located in Majengo area in Nairobi, is famous for its traders who sell second-hand clothes.

This is not the first time the market has been razed to the ground as fire has been breaking out almost every year since 2012, raising eyebrows in different quarters.

In 2016, Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan alleged attempts by unknown individuals to eject traders from the land after a similar inferno brought down stalls worth millions of shillings.

“I think it is not purely accidental. We have too many fires here. There are people responsible for them and we must find out who they are and bring them to book,” he told journalists.

Last year, another fire broke out at the market, prompting President  Kenyatta to order an investigation to establish the cause.