A fire that broke out in the early hours of Friday morning razed several businesses in Kagio town, Ndia Constituency, Kirinyaga County, leaving traders counting losses running into millions of shillings.
The blaze is said to have started at around 3am, tearing through a cluster of establishments that included hotels, salons and video halls before it could be brought under control. Its cause had not been established by the time of publication, with police said to be investigating what triggered the fire.
Residents who spoke at the scene said efforts to contain the flames were hampered by a delayed response from the county’s firefighting services. A water bowser from Kerugoya reportedly arrived at the scene, but residents say it was not adequately equipped to handle a blaze of that scale, forcing locals to draw on whatever water sources were available nearby. A nearby 24-hour club was credited with supplying water that is understood to have helped slow the spread of the fire before reinforcements arrived.
A fire unit from neighbouring Embu County arrived at around 5am to assist, though their arrival reportedly caused brief confusion among residents before it became clear they had come to help.
Traders who lost property in the fire expressed frustration at what they described as a slow and under-resourced emergency response, with some questioning why the county does not have firefighting capacity closer to the area despite the taxes they pay. Among those affected was a trader who said she had only recently launched her business before it was destroyed in the blaze.
No injuries have been reported in connection with the fire, though the full extent of the damage is still being assessed. Local leaders are expected to push county authorities for a quicker review of emergency response capacity in the area, a concern that has previously been raised following similar incidents in other parts of the county.
Investigations into the cause of the fire continue, and authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the matter.