Isiolo fire which broke out Jan 17 finally contained: Interior Ministry

The inferno that has swept through parts of Isiolo County since January 17 has been contained, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said the fire primarily destroyed animal pasture across approximately 2,500 hectares of forest in Cherab and Garbatulla sub-counties.

“The various emergency teams have done a commendable job. They managed to completely contain the fires yesterday and are now monitoring the situation,” Dr Omollo said in Sericho, where he and his Forestry counterpart Gitonga Mugambi led a government team to monitor the situation.

The PS identified the most affected areas as Sericho, Bandana, Dadacha Basa, Eleturku, and Merti, about 300 kilometres from Isiolo town.

“The good news is that no human life was lost in the fires,” he said, adding that the affected areas were sparsely populated.

Omollo said the government is investigating claims that the fire may have been started by herders attempting to clear pathways for their animals or scare away ticks and tsetse flies.

Other reports that honey harvesters may have caused the fires were also being probed, he added and issued a stern warning to locals against lighting fires recklessly.

When the fire broke out, elders, residents and human rights activists criticised the government's response to tame the inferno.

The chairperson of the Borana council of elders Mohamed Konso on January 19 lamented that there was no government action over 72 hours since the fire began raging.