Gikomba fire contained after nearly 10 hours as 17 people sustain injuries

A fire that tore through sections of Nairobi's Gikomba Market on Sunday has been contained after nearly 10 hours of intensive response efforts, according to the Kenya Red Cross.

In an update, the humanitarian agency said first responders attended to 17 casualties who sustained minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and burns.

The injured were treated at a first aid post established at the Gikomba Fire Station as emergency teams continued supporting affected traders and assessing the impact of the blaze.

"After nearly 10 hours of response efforts, the fire at Gikomba Market has been contained. Kenya Red Cross first responders attended to 17 casualties with minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and burns, at a first aid post established at the Gikomba Fire Station," the agency said.

The fire, which is believed to have started at around 4 a.m., destroyed several business premises, leaving traders counting losses.

Although the full extent of the damage is yet to be established, assessment teams remain on the ground to determine the scale of losses suffered by traders.

The Kenya Red Cross said it continued to work alongside a multi-agency team to support response efforts and evaluate the needs of those affected by the incident.

Authorities have not yet established the cause of the fire.

The fire is said to have razed property near Gikomba's Gorofani, causing extensive damage.

Gikomba Market, one of the country's largest open-air markets, has experienced several major fire incidents over the years, resulting in substantial losses for traders.

In May last year, a major fire broke out early Sunday morning in the footwear section of Gikomba Market, near Lamu Road in Majengo, Pumwani.

That was barely two months after a similar fire occurred in the market on April 1, 2025.

Earlier, on March 1, 2024, another fire struck the same ‘Kwa Mbao’ section, destroying property of unknown value.

Unpredictable blazes have hit the market in 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024, leaving traders with heavy losses and few answers.

Traders now find themselves once again counting losses and calling for long-term solutions to prevent future tragedies.

Many of the affected traders said they had lost everything and now have no source of income.

Lydia Aurelia, one of the traders whose stock was destroyed in the inferno, recounted the anxious moments before the fire consumed the market.

“I received a call at 2 am and was told there was a fire outbreak but they were trying to put it off,” she said. 

“At around 5 am I was called again and told it had been put off. But as we speak, we have no job. Everything is gone with the fire. The clothes we were to sell on Monday have all been burnt.”

Aurelia said the losses extend beyond merchandise, affecting families that rely entirely on the market for survival.

“We do not have anything. We have not saved anything. Those who depend on the market to feed their children and pay for the medical care of their parents have nowhere to turn to,” she said.

She expressed frustration that traders in the affected section were not given advance notice to relocate despite earlier discussions about moving some businesses from the area. 

“I wish we would have been told to move away the way shoe sellers were told. You had given us six months and we are still within that period. We are now in big problems. We have nowhere to go,” she lamented.

Another trader, Mercy Muthoni, described the incident as heartbreaking, saying years of investment had been lost within hours.