The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Traders in Kitengela are counting heavy losses after a Friday evening fire gutted property of unknown value, according to Isinya Subcounty Police Commander Simon Lokitari.
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The blaze consumed a storey structure built from a container and topped with iron sheet (mabati) extensions, located along the Nairobi–Namanga Road in Kitengela Town, Kajiado County.
Lokitari said the incident was reported by one of the affected traders, who informed Kitengela Police Station about the fire consuming the premises.
Police officers rushed to the scene and found firefighters from the Kajiado County Government already battling the flames with help from locals. Together, they managed to contain the fire.
When media visited the site early Saturday, victims and residents were still gathered around the burnt premises, many in shock as they surveyed the damage to what had been their businesses and sole sources of income.
The structure, owned by Grace Mutitika, reportedly housed six rooms. The fire is believed to have originated from a salon on the upper floor before spreading to nearby businesses, including a barbershop, a hardware shop, and stores selling various household goods.
“All rooms on the top of the container were destroyed, while some goods inside the container were partially burnt. The total value of the damage is yet to be determined,” Lokitari said.
He added that crime scene investigators had processed and documented the area, and a fire inquest has been launched to determine the cause.
In a separate fire incident on Saturday morning in Nonkopir Trading Centre, also within Kitengela, a 65-year-old woman reported her house had been engulfed in flames. Neighbours responded and helped salvage some belongings, but items worth approximately Sh50,000—including sofas and mattresses—were lost.
No injuries or fatalities were reported in either incident, and the causes of both fires remain unknown.
