Greedy traders torch city markets

Why are Nairobi markets like Toi and Gikomba destroyed in arson fires that keep breaking out?

Yes, they are warrens of flimsy wood and, mabati shops, firetraps with dangerous flammable material and illegal electricity connections. Hundreds of thousands of people depend on them for a living.

But the real reasons are darker.

Most traders (except for the many beneficiaries) say fires are always well-planned and watchmen look the other way. 

Gikomba Market, East Africa’s largest open-air market, has experienced unpredictable (well, not really) infernos at least three times a year.

Toi, Kangemi and Uhuru markets in Kibra, Kangemi and Makadara have also been damaged and large sections destroyed.

But the latest 'fire festival' destroyed the entire Toi market last week. Traders and residents lost property and livelihoods worth billions of shillings. People also die.

 At least 15 people lost their lives and more than 60 others were injured in the Gikomba fire on June 24 last year. Some bodies were burnt beyond recognition; some victims were suffocated by smoke after they were trapped.

President Uhuru Kenyatta was furious that none of his distinguished Cabinet bothered to visit.

Tragedy after tragedy, promise after promise to investigate, to get to the bottom of arson and nail the arsonists.

There has never been a conclusive probe and a successful court case. Fast-moving fires usually break out at night, arson is obvious but investigating smouldering rubble and identifying culprits is difficult.

So many people have motives — it's always money.

Landlords burn out their tenants so they can rebuild property and charge higher rent. Loan defaulters set shops ablaze and tell the banks they have no property. Businesspeople burn store and property to claim insurance.

 On October 6 2017, then Devolution CS Mwangi Kiunjuri said reports indicated arson and promised investigations.

"We are saddened that reports point to foul play. The government is investigating to determine the exact cause of these fires. Stern action will be taken against culprits ."

We're still waiting.

In most cases, the cause of the infernos is'unknown'.

But traders and their officials who spoke to the Star ruled out electricity faults and illegal connections and blamed greedy and deceitful traders who use petrol to raze stores and stalls.

Nairobi deputy director of fire rescue and disaster management Brian Kisali agreed with the traders and said petrol is used to torch markets.

Gikomba traders’ majority leader Geoffrey Wanderi said people take loans and once they have spent the money or they are not getting returns on business, they set their stores ablaze.

He said traders burn shops and stalls, then claim they lost property to fire to gain sympathy and a repayment waiver from banks. Of course, anyone who takes a loan should insure their property.

“Others traders take insurance with the intention of defrauding insurance firms. They remove everything from their shops, set empty stores on fire and seek compensation claiming they lost everything," Wanderi said.

Businessman Benson Mwangi agreed. He said the speed with which the fire spreads is always suspicious and points to an accelerant like petrol.

“First, we'd expect most fires to happen during the day when most people are using electricity. Why do they start at night?" Mwangi asked.“How fire can spread 50 metres in less than three minutes tells you that petrol is used."

The arsonists burning their own premises ensure that fire spreads to other property to eliminate suspicion of foul play, traders said.

Some traders seek more market space also set fires. They are accused of burning prime sections of markets to evict other traders so that they can take up their positions.

“They identify prime parts of markets for their business and since they cannot buy the space, they decide to burn key areas so occupants are forced to move out,” one trader said.

They know that once you have lost everything you are not able to afford the rent in the prime areas while struggling to rebuild your business, you will have to start again elsewhere, he said.

 A loader in Toi market said he saw three people sprinkling a substance along main footpaths in the market shortly before the fire that consumed the whole market at night two weeks ago.

“I didn’t suspect they were on a mission, therefore, I didn't pay much attention. I remembered later how they went around with a bottle each, pouring the substance in small quantities,” he said.

The traders in most markets said arsonists buy the watchmen’s silence and most of the night guards, many of them from Tanzania, disappear after a fire.

Nairobi fire official Kisali said the biggest problem is identifying where the fire started and those involved in starting it because nobody wants to give information to assist authorities. Snitches get punished, it's not worth telling the truth.

He said the county is rebuilding the Gikomba Market to demarcate sections left for roads — and prevent road encroachment — so fire engines can enter the markets.

(Edited by Victoria Graham)