Over thirty families were on Thursday afternoon left homeless at Majengo slums in Nanyuki town, Laikipia County, after fire razed their shelters.
The fire, which broke out in one of the houses, spread rapidly due to the congestion in the slum.
The county’s fire rescue team which is a few kilometers away from scene of fire arrived on time but were unable to extinguish the fire due to lack of adequate water.
Hawa Maulidi Juma, a resident, accused Kenya Power of not responding to the incident by switching of electricity connection in the area.
“We called Kenya Power to disconnect power from this line but they were reluctant to offer their assistance. If they acted on time, this kind of damage could not have been witnessed,” Maulidi said.
The residents have also accused Governor Ndiritu Muriithi’s administration of neglecting them by not coming up with measures to contain disasters such as fire.
“We feel neglected by our leaders because they are not solving the problems that we are facing. We are now appealing to the national government to intervene and assist us in managing issues of emergencies,” Fatuma Mohammed said.
About three months ago another fire broke out in the area killing two siblings, a boy and a girl both aged one- and a half year and four years respectively.
by Muturi Mwangi
