A raging fire tore through Nairobi’s Kibera estate on Wednesday night, leaving over 100 families without shelter and reducing homes and businesses to rubble. With fire engines unable to access the area due to narrow roads, residents were left to watch helplessly as the flames consumed their livelihoods.
Highlights:
- More than 100 families were displaced after a fire broke out in Kibra.
- Both homes and small businesses were destroyed in the inferno.
- Narrow access roads delayed firefighting efforts, worsening the damage.
- Residents spent the night outdoors in freezing conditions.
- Authorities are yet to confirm the fire’s cause.
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What began as a small fire quickly escalated into a massive blaze that ravaged parts of Kibera estate on Wednesday evening. The affected area, home to hundreds of low-income residents and informal traders, was left in ruins within hours.
By nightfall, scores of families had lost everything. Makeshift shelters were erected with salvaged materials as victims braved the cold night without food, bedding, or electricity. Many expressed frustration over the lack of rapid response and emergency preparedness.
Residents say the firefighting effort was severely delayed as fire trucks struggled to access the scene. Narrow, unplanned pathways made it nearly impossible for emergency vehicles to navigate, a longstanding issue in many informal settlements across Nairobi.
Victims are now appealing for urgent assistance—food, clothing, and shelter—as they begin to rebuild. Local leaders have called on the Nairobi County Government to invest in fire safety infrastructure and improve urban planning in informal settlements to prevent future tragedies.
As the ashes settle in Kibera, the urgent question lingers: how many more fires must tear through lives before real change takes hold
