Traders at Gikomba market are counting losses after a fire razed the market in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
Witnesses stated that the fire started at a Jua Kali area before spreading down to a section of stalls within the market.
Firefighters and traders hurried to put off the fire.
The latest incident comes barely a month after a fire razed the market.
At the time, a section of traders in the market appealed to Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to install CCTV cameras to curb the rampant fire cases.
While reiterating that the cameras will help arrest the perpetrators behind their tribulations, the traders who spoke through their spokesperson also pleaded with the county government to deploy police officers across the markets to ward off arsonists.
“These regular fires should end, and we are asking the government of President William Ruto and Johnson Sakaja to find a lasting solution,” Yusuf, a trader, stated, as quoted by a local publication.
They also asked the county government to provide them with fire hydrants and construct boreholes.
On his part, Governor Sakaja pledged to protect the market and traders from malicious intent by outsiders.
The county boss also pledged to set up a market fire station.
“Gikomba is public land, and we will build a wall around it. It belongs to the people of Nairobi, and we will defend it to the end from grabbers,” he stated, as quoted by a local publication.
He vowed to issue the land with a title deed once the land was surveyed.
We’re beefing up this story with more details. Check back in minutes for full information.
