NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 21 – Traders at Gikomba Market are calling for urgent reforms following yet another fire incident that has left them with heavy losses and renewed questions over safety and governance in the market.
Several traders said this was not the first time they had suffered losses, with some noting that the recurring nature of the fires points to deeper systemic failures.
One trader said the government’s core responsibility should be the protection of lives and property, adding that the scale of repeated destruction reflects gaps in planning and emergency preparedness.
“This is my third time having my property burned, but in all the fires that have ever burned here in this market, we have never seen another fire like this one. This is like something that was planned because you cannot tell me it burned from that side all the way to this side; I see it as something arranged.”
“If someone wanted us out of this place, it is better that they tell us the truth, so we can remove our things instead of being burnt out, because now our life is affected,” said the trader as he looked down at ashes of where his stall used to be.
Others questioned the effectiveness of existing fire infrastructure, alleging that nearby fire response facilities were either unstaffed or under-resourced during the incident.
“I sell gas, and the police were struggling to carry away all the gas cylinders from inside Gikomba; they stole them. Those who are supposed to protect us are the ones stealing people’s things. Is this truly how we go to Singapore? That is my only question,” Ishamel, a trader said.
Another trader, Kimanthi added; “Is this the Singapore the President is always telling us about? Is this it, where things are snatched and we are treated like this? There were no fire engines in Gikomba from 1:00 AM until 6:30 AM when the first truck arrived.”
Mercy Wairimu, a t-shirt vendor, said she lost over 80,000 Kenya Shillings worth of goods. She criticized the government, noting that while a fire station was built in the area, it was “empty” with no vehicles or personnel when the fire started. She and other traders waited over two hours for help
“I cannot say the government has done anything, because if they had, you wouldn’t still see people scavenging the few remains while others are taking what is left. We would ask our government to look at us with an eye of mercy because we have lost everything. We have children in school and we pay for houses—where will we start?” Wairimu said.