Traders agony as Gikomba market razed in dawn inferno

There have been numerous fire incidents at the market, often blamed on business rivalry. /FILE.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 1 – A section of Gikomba market in Nairobi went up in flames Saturday, destroying property of unknown value, in the latest incident in months.

Firefighters were struggling to contain the huge inferno as traders tried to salvage their stock.

The Kenya Red Cross, said that it had dispatched response teams to help with the rescue operation.

The market has in the past suffered destruction of property due to frequent fires which traders see as a plot to force them out.

In June 2018, 16 people lost their lives following a huge fire that consumed property in a large section of the market.

The 2018 fire was blamed on business rivalry, although the outcome of the investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations was never made public.

Yunia Amunga

Yunia Amunga is a news anchor at 98.4 Capitalfm, besides that she has a strong interest and keenly pursues health stories. An alumni of Moi University and Radio Netherlands Training Centre (RNTC) she posses a wealth of experience having been in the media industry for over 15 years. It is for this reason that she wants to independently tell health stories for the good of the public.