Africa-Press – Kenya. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has delivered support worth Sh2.4 million to Gikomba traders who lost suffered loss after Wednesday’s inferno. A section of the market went up in flames at around 4am on Wednesday morning, leaving traders counting losses.
The Governor’s Thursday donation also included Sh200,000 to the family of one Alfred Mugo Wahome, who succumbed to the fire. Promising the traders that the frequent fires will be a thing of the past, Sakaja said the government was working on processing public title deeds for the market.
“This will discourage opportunistic arsonists. Poleni sana; this will be a thing of the past,” he said. Sakaja said the county was working with the National Lands Commission on the matter.
He also updated the traders on the progress his office has made on the fire station, whose construction, he said will commence soon. He was joined by Starehe MP Amos Mwago and the area MCA.
The Governor’s donation came after that of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who gave out Sh1 million. The donation was presented to the traders by George Theuri, political and youth affairs advisor at the office of the Deputy President.
The traders have been victims to the fires that have been occurring in Gikomba in the years 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022. In October, Sakaja pledged to set up a fire station at Gikomba to help deal with recurrent fires.
He also promised to have the land surveyed and title deeds issued saying land grabbers and speculators are some of those behind the fires. “Gikomba is public land and we will build a wall around it. It belongs to the people of Nairobi. We will defend it to the end from grabbers,” he said then.
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