By OLIVER MUSEMBI
More than 100 small traders in Ruiru, Kiambu County, have lost their livelihoods after a fire gutted their businesses at the Thika Road-Eastern Bypass intersection.
The fire, whose cause remains unknown, broke out on Tuesday night and destroyed scores of business sheds and merchandise before firefighters arrived, occasioning losses running into hundreds of thousands of shillings.
Recounting their losses, the traders said many woke up the following morning to find their only sources of income reduced to ashes after the blaze, which is believed to have started shortly before midnight.
One of the affected traders, Wilson Macharia, said his premises, which also served as a store for merchandise belonging to other traders, was razed by the inferno, destroying clothes, shoes, gas cylinders and foodstuff.
“We don’t know the cause of the fire yet, but it broke out after 11.30pm on Tuesday night. My premises was also used as a store by several other traders who lost various items, including clothes, shoes, foodstuff and gas cylinders,” said Macharia.
The traders are now appealing for support from local leaders and well-wishers to help them rebuild their businesses, which many depended on to feed and educate their children.
Tabitha Nyagithie, who has operated a small hotel in the area for close to three years, said the fire started from a nearby food stall but efforts to put it out were unsuccessful, resulting in the destruction of everything inside her premises.
She said she lost merchandise worth more than Sh200,000 in the incident, in addition to goods belonging to fellow traders who had been using her hotel as a storage facility.
“I and fellow traders, most of whom are women, lost everything, including clothes for our children who used to change and leave their school uniforms here overnight. I depended on my business to feed and educate my children. We are appealing for help from the government and well-wishers,” Nyagithie said.
A local politician, Sammy Onyango, who visited the scene, appealed to the Kiambu County Government and Ruiru MP Simon King’ara to channel disaster and emergency funds towards supporting the affected traders, who have been left without a source of livelihood.
“The affected people are well over 200, including their families. They need our support to rebuild their businesses, and the county government, together with the Ruiru MP’s office, should chip in through disaster and emergency funds,” said Onyango.
He also called for investigations into the cause of the fire, noting that the traders were operating on a prime road reserve area off the Thika Superhighway, which he claimed some cartels had been seeking to take control of.
The traders were allowed to operate at the site following a public participation exercise involving representatives from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), the administration and local leaders.
