Property of unknown value was destroyed following a fire that gutted Marikiti Market in Kisii on Sunday morning.
The blaze, which broke out shortly after 2am, reduced stalls and shops within the market—located in the heart of Kisii’s Central Business District (CBD)—to ashes, leaving many traders counting heavy losses.
Residents’ attempts to put out the blaze proved futile, as efforts to douse the flames using water buckets bore no fruit. The situation was worsened by the market's construction, which largely consisted of aluminium structures that quickly caught and spread the fire.
Nearby businesses, including car parks, were forced to take drastic measures, resorting to forcibly pushing vehicles away to prevent them from being consumed by the raging blaze.
As of Sunday morning, plumes of smoke and scattered flames could still be seen rising from the scene.
According to eyewitnesses and traders, efforts to get help from the county government’s emergency response teams were futile, with no fire trucks arriving in time to contain the inferno. By 2:30am, the fire had already consumed more than 300 stalls.
Witnesses further criticised the delayed response by firefighters, despite the Kisii County fire station being just a few metres from the scene.
Some traders alleged that the land on which the market sits has been under court litigation, with a recent ruling declaring it private property. They speculated that the fire may have been intentional, though Kenyans.co.ke could not independently verify the claims.
As of the time of publication, the Kisii County Government had not issued an official statement regarding the incident or the allegations surrounding the fire.
Additionally, the cause of the fire remained unknown, even as traders demanded an investigation into the incident that had sparked fury among the locals.
''The market has been on fire since 2 am. Imagine how yet the county has fire engines, fuelled, serviced, and run by our taxes and those of whose businesses have burnt down. The stalls have been reduced to ashes. Is it because the land is contested?'' a trader narrated.
In May this year, a fire broke out at Amabuko Secondary School in Kisii County, destroying property of unknown value and leaving 22 students with minor injuries.
The incident, which occurred around 8:00pm in Nyaribari Masaba Constituency, added to growing concerns over recurring fire incidents in the region, including the recent blaze that gutted over 300 stalls at Marikiti Market in Kisii’s CBD.
