This archive report was first published on 11 July 2021.
On Sunday, July 11, 2021, a devastating fire swept through the Mukuru Fuata Nyayo 'A' slum in Nairobi, claiming the lives of two people and leaving 131 families without homes.
According to Makadara police boss Timon Odingo, the fire was suspected to have been caused by a candle left burning, despite there being no electricity in the slum. Kenya Power has launched an investigation into the incident.
"Although there was no electricity in the said slum, KPLC will investigate further to determine whether there were people connecting power illegally during the incident since a transformer serving the slum was earlier unmounted by KPLC officials," Mr Odingo said.
The victims of the fire were identified as Melvin Anyona, aged seven, and James Atambo, aged 40. Melvin's father, Caleb Njairo, expressed his sadness at losing his son, while James's brother, Samson Atambo, remembered his sibling's plans to return to their rural home after being unemployed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The slum's security chairman, Moses Mavesi, attributed the fire to the house of the late James Atambo, where it started around 12:30 am on Sunday. He called on the government to build roads in the slum to ensure quick response during emergencies.
Nairobi County firefighters eventually extinguished the blaze, despite facing difficulties accessing the area due to congestion of shanties.
