This archive report was first published on 7 September 2019.
On Friday night, a fire broke out in Sotik constituency, Bomet county, destroying 15 shops in the process. The fire, which is suspected to have been caused by an electric fault at 1am, lasted for over three hours and left nothing salvageable.
County disaster officer Stanley Mutai arrived at the scene when the fire had covered nearly all the shops. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported, thanks to the quick response from officers, the public, and the county disaster team who helped put out the fire.
According to Sotik Sub-County commander Francis Nganga, the value of the property lost is yet to be established. However, affected traders are appealing for the county emergency fund to enable them resume business.
One of the traders, Robert Rob, who lost a shop, expressed his gratitude for the county's aid, saying, "I have lost everything and I wish the county can come to our aid." Another trader, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that he had a stock of over Sh1 million in his timber store but was left with nothing after the fire.
