Residents of Madoya slums in Huruma are calling on Nairobi County to provide support, such as relief food, shelter, and clothing, after a gas explosion left 80 families without a home.
The explosion that occurred on Thursday has left at least eight people dead, and 10 others nursing injuries.
Photos and video obtained by Kenyans.co.ke displayed the intensity of the inferno, which reduced several houses to rubble. Those injured were rushed to the nearest healthcare facilities for emergency treatment.
"When I went outside, I saw that the fire had already reached outside our house, and when I tried to escape, the fire had blocked all the roads, and when I tried to go back, I found myself surrounded by fire," one survivor recounted.
"I would like the Nairobi county government to help us because it has been raining heavily, yet we are outside and we have nothing," another resident said.
However, the incident has sparked outrage among residents of the area, who claimed that despite emergency service responders being stationed near the area, they were slow to respond to the incident, citing a lack of fuel.
"Red Cross has not been able to reach here; the county government is also sleeping, because there is a new station that has been constructed just here to serve these areas, but when they were called, they said that they are searching for fuel," one resident said.
The incident came a week after two other people died, while others were left nursing injuries following a fire incident in the Sinai area of Mukuru kwa Reuben.
According to reports, the fire, which left 200 families homeless, erupted on Thursday, September 5, in one of the houses.
Witnesses said that the fire began while most of the residents were asleep. However, attempts by the locals to put out the fire proved futile as it spread to other buildings.
Residents criticised the Nairobi County Government disaster management team for reportedly arriving late.
"The firefighters arrived too late, but their vehicle had no water they went back without putting out the flames. We want to tell Governor Johnson Sakaja to get serious in such situations," said one of the residents.
"The roads here are inaccessible; had the roads been accessible, then the fire could have been contained early before it spread widely," the resident added.
