Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to help probe the cause of Gikomba market fire that killed 15 people and left more than 70 injured.
Sonko was responding to an instruction issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta after the incident, which called on the county government to establish the cause of the fire.
In a statement issued to newsrooms, Uhuru stated: "The national Government and Nairobi County will sit together for a full review of our emergency services, and our disaster preparedness. We owe the victims, and the people of Nairobi, a clear, credible plan to end these fires."
[caption caption="Scenes from the fire at Gikomba Market"]
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Sonko's decision to incorporate DCI's help in the investigations could be termed as radical since the previous fires investigations were carried out by police investigators.
In a similar incident that happened barely a year ago, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet was tasked to lead the investigations of the fire, however, the findings were never presented to the public.
The governor divulged that a multi-agency team would be formed to investigate the cause of the fire, affirming that the county government would work with DCI to get to the root of perrenial fire incidents at the market.
"My administration together with DCI is probing the incident to ascertain the cause of the fire as well come up with long-term solutions to the perennial fire disasters at Gikomba market," Sonko exclaimed.
The county boss spoke after he visited survivors of the Gikomba fire at Kenyatta National Hospital.
His visit to the victims comes after his absence was noted when other leaders, including Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, rushed to the scene on Thursday.
Unconfirmed reports have claimed that the fire in the market could be an arson attack by land grabbers interested in occupying the piece of land.
Sonko also stated that the DCI would be tasked with finding the truth, warning that those who will be found guilty will face the full force of the law.
"We want Nairobi to be a safe place to invest and live in. We cannot allow our people to die in fire outbreaks. We must get a solution, " he concluded.
[caption caption="Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko when he visited survivors of Gikomba market fire on June 29, 2018 at the Kenyatta National Hospital"]
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