Property of unknown value was Thursday night reduced to ashes after six food kiosks and a Jua kali shop caught fire within Kilifi township centre in Kilifi County.
The fire which is suspected to have started in one of the kiosks spread first destroying five others during the 8.30pm inferno before County fire fighters and local residents brought it under control.
Eye witnesses said all the six kiosk owners and their workers had closed down their premises at 7.00pm and had left for their houses when the fire started.
According to Emily Karisa whose kiosk was gutted down by the fire, her properties including food, plastic chairs and a sewing machine were lost in the inferno.
“I received a call from a colleague who stays near the premises and informed me of the fire and that my kiosk had been reduced to ashes. Five minutes later, I was at the scene where I found nothing of what I had just left behind,” she said.
Ms. Karisa said she took a Sh.50, 000 loan in February, 2020 from Kenya Women Finance Trust and was due to repay it by December 2020.
“My hopes now lie with the County government if it will consider assisting me to put up another kiosk so that I can re-start with the few savings I have. My business had been severely affected when we were forced to close down due to the COVID 19 pandemic in March and had just started last week,” she said.
Another victim Mr. Barawa Madambo Barawa who owns the Jua kali shop also urged the County government to come to their aid by erecting new kiosks for their work.
He said the situation could have been worse had it not been the faster action by the county fire fighting department and thanked them for saving over 50 other kiosks within the premise.
“I took a loan of Sh.300, 000 from IMARIKA Sacco two years ago and started the Jua kali shop where my business had been doing well before we were ordered to close down in March this year. I opened the shop last week only to be welcomed by this disaster that will stop me from clearing my loan,” he said.
Kilifi north Sub County police commander David Chacha who confirmed the accident said police have launched investigation to establish the cause of the fire.
By Harrison Yeri
