By Paul Gitau

Hotelier David Muiruri took a Sh15 million bank loan and put up his dream investment of 20 villas in Malindi, which he operated as a beach hotel.

But on Sunday afternoon, tears coursed his cheeks as he stood and on the beach front, watching billowing palls of dark smoke from a vicious fire that engulfed his luxury cottages.

His villas, White House International, were among over 250 that were destroyed in a fire that started at 1.30pm and spread fast across a line of a closely-knit network of makuti-thatched villas.

A man gestures helplessly as a fierce fire razes a cottage in Malindi on Sunday.

"They are all the investment of my life. I don’t know where to start. It is everything I have worked for over 20 years," said Muiruri who worked as a manager of various beach hotels before investing on his own.

He said: "I had taken Sh15 million from a bank, which I topped up with Sh10 million from my savings. I furnished them to the last detail. I imported furniture and electronics from Dubai."

He said this was going to be his first high season. He had full house bookings running through July and August but that now is all gone up in flames.

Another of the properties that were counting big losses on Monday included Palm Tree Club.

Its manager Lydia Filini said: "We salvaged nothing. It’s a very big loss… our cottages were expensively furnished and we were expecting a great high season."

The fire is now suspected to have been caused by an electricity mishap when overhead cables came into contact with swaying trees and emitted sparks that fell onto a makuti roof.

Most of the other villas that were razed belonged to absentee property owners, most of them Italians.

One such villa, Ranjo House, owned by an Italian investor is usually left in the management of a caretaker, like hundreds of other villas.

Hotelier David Muiruri outside one of his burnt villas yesterday. Photos: Paul Gitau/Standard

The caretaker of Ranjo House, Mr Katana Wanje said the property’s watchman raised the alarm when he saw the fire start from a villa next to an electricity post.

Ranjo House was soon engulfed in flame as well.

Malindi has about 1,500 villas that line the coastline from Mambrui to Watamu.

Celebrity visitors

Many of them are in the standard of five-star hotels in luxury, service and dÈcor.

Most of the compounds that house the villas have swimming pools and well manicured lawns and gardens.

A cottage in such a compound would be furnished with the latest TV models connected to satellite, other electronics, posh furniture and a private waiter on call.

The villas are preferred by high society guests seeking exclusive, private beach holidays.

Some of the top of the range villas in Malindi and Watamu are frequented by celebrities like Formula One drivers. Super model Naomi Campbell is a frequent caller to Malindi where she stays in one villa owned by Formula One boss Flavio Biattore.

Some of the most exclusive villas cost Sh50,000 per person per night for all-inclusive accommodation.

Booking for the very exclusive ones is done abroad by marketing agents. However, despite the massive investment in villas, many local insurance companies are understood to deny them fire cover due to the high risk posed by makuti roofing.

"We insist they change to fireproof tiles which some beach hotels in Mombasa have agreed to, otherwise we omit the fire risk in our cover," said a Paul Gitu, a Mombasa-based insurance broker.

Villa owners are said to prefer the makuti roofing, which helps lower high room temperatures in this hot and humid resort town. Some also argue that the makuti roof retains the indigenous look of the coastline.

Fire levy

Statistics from this year alone may go to show how risky makuti roofing has in a fire situation.

Previous fires have gutted Watamu Beach Hotel, La Papaya Hotel, Kivulini hotel, and Karibuni villas.

In all the fires, the Malindi Municipal Council complained that they were fanned by wind and fuelled by dry makuti.

Malindi Town Clerk Mr Peter King’oina said the Sunday fire was too fierce to put out.

"Most of these villa fires spread fast and overwhelm the capacity of our fire engines," said the Town Clerk.

But the Italian Consul in Malindi Mr Roberto Macri said the council has a responsibility to be well prepared to tackle any fire since all the businesses are charged a fire levy.

Mr Macri said tourism industry investors from his country had lost billions of shillings through hotel fires.

Other hoteliers said they would sue the council and Kenya Power and Lighting Company for damages.