This archive report was first published on 23 November 2019.
On Saturday night, a devastating fire swept through a building in Ndhiwa town, destroying property worth millions of shillings. The fire, which started at 1am, reduced to ashes photocopying and printing machines, gas cylinders, refrigerators, mattresses, motorbikes, and other consumable and non-consumable items.
According to Nicholas Awaka, the Kanyamwa Kosewe MCA, who rushed to the scene during the incident, no property was salvaged. He attributed the failure to put out the fire to the poor state of the road connecting Homa Bay and Ndhiwa towns, which made it difficult for firefighting engines to reach the scene in time.
Awaka challenged the county department of disaster management to put in place proper modalities for fighting fire in the area and called on the police to investigate and take legal action against the suspected arsonist.
Traders affected by the fire, including Hope Odhiambo and Joseph Otieno, attributed the incident to arson and pleaded for humanitarian aid to help them establish their business again.
