Four people were killed and at least 6,000 residents were left homeless in a fire that broke out in Lang’ata’s Kijiji slum on Sunday night. National Disaster Management Unit Deputy Director Pius Masai and police confirmed that three bodies were recovered on Monday morning and one more body was found mid-morning during a search, bringing the total to four.
Lang’ata MP Nixon Korir assured the residents who lost their houses of the government’s support as they seek to rebuild their lives. “I have spoken to the Deputy President William Ruto who has committed to helping these victims with the necessary support. We will also assist them to rebuild their houses so that they can continue with their lives,” said Korir.
Hundreds of families spent Sunday night out in the cold after their houses were razed down. The affected residents are camping at Ngei Primary School, where they will receive humanitarian assistance.
Masai appealed to well-wishers to donate food, clothes, shoes and shopping items which will be distributed among the 6,000 affected families. “We appeal for well-wishers to bring food and non-food items to the affected families,” Mr Masai said.
He also urged the affected residents to file a missing person’s report in case of a missing relative. “We appeal to anyone missing a family member to report to Langata police station or at the command post for tracing to be done,” Masai said search and recovery was still ongoing, adding one of the deceased had been identified.
The Kenya Red Cross said the fire had been contained. Police said investigations were ongoing to establish the cause of the fire. Residents blamed the Nairobi County Government firefighters for not containing the situation and taking too long to respond, and when they arrived they didn’t have water.