Over 200 families displaced as fire ravages Kibra, CS Ruku pledges support

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku visiting Kibera where fire broke out on Thursday, pledging government support for the affected families.[Omondi Powel/Standard]

A devastating fire broke out Wednesday evening in Kibra’s Mukungu village, leaving more than 200 families homeless and destroying property worth thousands of shillings.

The inferno, whose cause is yet to be established, tore through the informal settlement, reducing dozens of homes to ashes.

Residents of Mukungu village, an informal settlement area, say they lost crucial academic and other official documents in the inferno, whose cause is yet to be established.

“My children have lost all their high school documents. That is all I want the government to help me replace,” said one of the residents.

 Six people—three adults and three children—were injured during the incident, though no fatalities were reported.

The densely populated Kibra constituency, often referred to as one of Nairobi’s largest informal settlements, has long struggled with infrastructure challenges, including poor access to emergency services like firefighting. Fires in the area frequently spread rapidly due to closely built structures made of wood and iron sheets.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku visited the scene on Thursday, pledging government support for the affected families. He said the government would also assist victims of a separate fire that destroyed Kimana Market in Kajiado County.

“The government will provide emergency relief to the families to assist them in getting their lives back on track,” said Ruku. “We will also ensure that all who have lost their academic certificates will get replacements without paying a cent.”

The CS added that discussions were underway to find long-term solutions for frequent fire outbreaks in informal settlements.

Local leaders and humanitarian agencies have called for better disaster preparedness measures in Kibra, including installation of fire hydrants, community training, and improved access roads for emergency responders.