Kenyans have woken up to the news of the Gikomba market being on fire again. It seems like fires at this market are an annual thing with empty promises from the government never coming through. Who is setting this thriving market on fire?
Traders are counting losses with some completely broken and dreams shattered as their investments went up in flames. The fire happened in the morning hours of Friday and the source of the fire is yet to be established. Firefighters are still at the scene.
Traders are blaming some “powerful” people who are setting their businesses on fire so as to grab the market for their own personal gains. Fire has been consuming the Gikomba market each year for four years now and the government seems lost.
Since president uhuru kenyatta got into power Gikomba market has been burnt more frequently do you think what am thinking pic.twitter.com/e28HgiAZGh
— Natasha Lunah (@NatashaLunah_) August 6, 2021
In November 2020, Traders at the busy Gikomba Market counted massive losses after they woke up to dawn fire that had razed down everything. The November fire came few months after another massive fire that hit the market in February, the same year.
Here is a history of fires at the Gikomba Market:
2020
25th June 2020, the market was set ablaze around the cereals and mitumba sections just opposite the Central Organization of Trade Unions (Cotu) offices.
The market also went up on flames on 1st February 2020 around the timber area and property worth millions was reduced to ashes in the fire that began at 4 am and was put out at around 8 am.
2019
6th February 2019 Wednesday night at around 10 pm where traders once again lost property of unknown value to the raging fire.
2018
On June 28th, 2018, exactly seven months after the last fire in October, the flames raged on once more at the Kwa Mbao section and traders watched in disbelief as all their efforts to rebuild were turned to ashes. 15 people died.
Over 70 people were seriously injured and Kenyans hoped that was the last they would hear of fires at the Gikomba market but that was never to be the case.
2017
On 10th September 2017 at around 7 am, another fire gutted down property worth millions, second-hand clothes and shoes were mostly affected.
On 6th October 2017, a fire broke up at around 3 am on a Friday morning and emergency efforts were heavily challenged by the market’s then inaccessible state leading to a larger loss of property that should have been witnessed.
2015
On the 23rd of January 2015, a fire broke out at 1 am and reduced clothes and shoes worth millions to ashes leaving behind a devastated lot of traders
On June 23rd, 2015, thousands of traders in the Gikomba market were counting massive losses after another fierce fire razed down more than half of the market.
Shocked traders teary narrated how they had outstanding loans they had applied to boost their business yet everything had been reduced to ashes.
2014
On 18th March 2014, a raging fire destroyed property worth millions at the Gikomba market, near Shauri Moyo lower bridge at around 8 pm as the traders watched in despair. An eyewitness who operated a hotel where the fire started reported that the inferno was generated by an alleged explosion at Joy stores which was adjacent to his eatery.
October 15, Gikomba caught fire for the second time in the year at around 10 pm, property worth millions was burned down.
Read More: Gikomba Market Is On Fire Again As Government Plays Dumb