Nine families left homeless after fire destroys rental houses in Kirinyaga

The fire broke out on Monday, a market day, destroying the residential building and leaving the affected families counting losses.

Residents, led by Michel Kirimi, said efforts to contain the fire proved difficult as locals struggled to put out the flames before the entire building was reduced to ashes.

The building's owner, Lilian Wangari, said she was at the market when she received news that her property was on fire.

Wangari, who said the rental houses were her only source of livelihood, lamented that she had lost her sole means of income, which she relied on to support her ailing mother.

"I have been left with nothing, and the money I get from them is what I use to take care of my sick mother," she said.

She suspects the fire was caused by an electrical fault, noting that the incident occurred shortly after electricity was restored following a blackout.

The nine affected families, led by a resident identified as Jack, said they lost all their belongings, including essential personal documents, in the inferno.

No injuries were reported.

Tension, however, erupted at the scene when angry residents stoned a Kirinyaga County Government clean water vehicle, smashing its windscreen in protest over what they described as the county's failure to provide adequate firefighting equipment.

The residents questioned why the county government had dispatched a water bowser instead of a fire engine to respond to the emergency.

They noted that the incident was not the first fire outbreak in the area, accusing the county government of repeatedly relying on water bowsers to respond to fire emergencies.

The residents called on the county administration to urgently acquire a fire engine, arguing that clean water vehicles were not suitable substitutes for specialised firefighting equipment.

They warned that the continued absence of a fire engine could expose residents and property to greater risks during future fire outbreaks.