A shocking report released by Kenya National Fire Brigade Association (KENFIBA) states that currently there is only one fire fighter for every 83,333 Kenyans.
The Secretary General of the Assosiation Francis Omollo Liech said that the country has only 480 fire fighters.
Omollo added that 240 of the fire fighters are shared between Nairobi and Mombasa while the others are shared by 21 counties.
The numbers translate to one firefighter for every 16,000 households in the country.
Kenyans have all reasons to worry in the wake of these revelations.
A report on the People Daily further shows that citizens are at a high risk of dying from fire incidences due to lack of fire fighting resources.
The report indicates that in Nairobi’s fire response master plan, developed before independence, there were 14 sites set aside for the construction of fire stations. Out of the 14 only 3 sites have operational fire stations.
The remaining sites have reportedly been grabbed by people over the years.
The destruction of fire hydrants in towns was faulted as a cause for concern alongside slow response by firefighters and lack of resources.
In some cases, the truck engines have been reported to run out of water while putting out fires which have previously resulted in the destruction of property worth millions.
New findings indicate that no county has more than three fire engines with most of the counties having only one.
A county like Nakuru currenlty does not have one, after that which existed was burned by residents in Salgaa in a protest.
See Demos Paralyzes Transport Along Nakuru- Eldoret Highway
Bomet County was recently under scrutiny after a picture of their engine circulated online.
Most Kenyans saw the engine, which reportedly cost Sh21 million as a sham .
This is what Bomet county calls a fire engine. TATA pickup truck with a ladder on top. Cost Ksh 21 million. pic.twitter.com/0qF6XpOk7u
— Yuri B. (@ArcherMishale) August 19, 2015
Lack of resources in equipment and manpower coupled with poor work conditions for fire fighters in the country raise concerns on the effectiveness of disaster management and mitigation structures in the country especially during fire outbreaks.
