Fire Destroys Gikomba Market’s Shoes Section

Officials are investigating the cause of a huge fire that swept through a section of Gikomba Market in Nairobi leaving many in pain.

Police and witnesses said the fire broke out from the section that handles shoes spreading fast on Friday December 1 morning.

Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said no injury had been reported.

He said the fire broke out at about 1 am. The cause of the fire is yet to be established.

Multi agency teams were deployed to the scene to help contain the spread of the fire.

There have been fire incidents in the area prompting leaders to call for the same to be declared a disaster.

Kamkunji MP Yussuf Hassan been leading in campaigns to contain and address the incidents.

Gikomba Market, East Africa’s largest open-air market, has experienced unpredictable fires annually.

For decades, Gikomba market has been a source of income for many including food vendors, second-hand clothes traders, carpenters, business people, and many more.

However, for many years, they have constantly been in tears, and encountered losses as fire mocked their success by razing down the market.

Gikomba has had its annual fires in the past years 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022.

There are efforts to construct permanent structures there as part of efforts to address the menace.