Reports indicated that the property was lost to both the fire tragedy and the robbery incident.
According to one of the tenants, the robbers seized the opportunity to cart away valuables as owners focused on the fire.
“They (robbers) posed as good Samaritans offering to put out the fire,” one of the tenants noted.
The residents sought help from the police to have the criminals apprehended and jailed.
The fire, which broke out on Wednesday night, January 13, affected a number of establishments and adjacent premises.
Reports indicate that the cause of the fire was due to electrical faults. They noted that electrical shortage problems had been a major cause of huge fires in the area.
The victims have sought compensation from the Kiambu county government.
A similar fire incident occurred in Nairobi’s Githurai 45 area along the busy Thika Superhighway after several businesses were razed down in a fire. The incident saw traders incur heavy losses as the fire emergency team took hours before arriving at the scene.
Most of the traders claimed they had taken loans to establish businesses, with many wondering how they are going to recoup their money.
Residents have asked county governments to have standby fire trucks next to crowded estates and slums even as many continue to blame poor access roads, water shortage and congested settlements for the delayed response.
Source: KENYAGIST.COM
