Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna is calling on the Kenya Police Service to permanently station officers at Gikomba, Toi and Mutindwa to mitigate rampant market fires.
Sifuna says security should also be enhanced around other markets to safeguard businesses and guarantee the incomes of people who rely on them.
“The Governor of Nairobi City County must, as a matter of urgency, state the plans he has put in place to ensure firefighting equipment is available near these markets,” he stated.
Further, he noted that the root cause of the fires must be urgently addressed and perpetrators brought to book once and for all.
“These fires stand to destroy a critical economic base of the poor and struggling Nairobi traders,” he said.
Sifuna noted that the nearest fire station to all these markets is the one in the Central Business District (CBD), which constantly reports lack of water or malfunctioning equipment.
“Politicians and Government officials have formed the habit of giving long speeches, donating food and building materials to victims, then moving on until the next fire,” he regretted.
The 1907-built Koja fire station on Tom Mboya Street and the 1957-built Industrial Area fire station have served Nairobi's almost four million population.
A third fire station is now being built in Gigiri, while two more have already been established in Waithaka and along Kangundo Road.
The Nairobi senator claimed that many problems, like income losses, excessive prices for necessities, and a challenging business environment, are currently plaguing the population.
“To add arson to that is the highest form of insensitivity. In no uncertain terms, this is economic genocide,” he stated.
On June 11, 2023, at around 2 a.m. Toi Market in Kibra Constituency went up in smoke, resulting in about 3,000 traders losing their stocks.
Two days later, Mutindwa Market in Embakasi West Constituency also rose in flames.
