Traders in Kiawara, Nyeri town’s Grogon neighborhood are tallying big losses after a fire destroyed seven business establishments and a church.
The fire, which started around 9 p.m. on Sunday, took six hours to put out, according to a statement from Nyeri County Fire and Rescue Services.
The Nyeri firefighters, who arrived in two fire engines, had to seek assistance from their Karatina counterparts.
Read: Traders In Anguish as Gikomba Market Goes Up in Flames Again
Ms Ann Wairimu, the owner of the affected land, told the Nation that the origin of the fire had yet to be determined, however she suspected it started in one of the compound’s residential houses.
The majority of the pricey objects lost in the fire, according to her, were workshop equipment and church musical instruments.
Kenya’s largest open-air market Gikomba Market has been experiencing perennial fires. The most recent one happened on December 18, 2021, just two weeks after another inferno.
The government had previously said it would invest in a call centre to gather and act on intelligence reports on persistent fires at Gikomba market in addition to installing high mast CCTV cameras.
Treasury secretary Ukur Yatani said the government had listed the frequent fires at the market as an evolving act of terrorism.
Drilling a borehole and installing a 100,000-litre steel tank to provide running water in the event of a fire are among the mitigation measures aimed at preventing billions of shillings in losses from arson attacks.
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