By Cyrus Ombati

Sunday evening’s fire incident at the heart of Nairobi’s Central Business District has exposed the city’s vulnerability to preventable disasters.

The tragedy comes a couple of months after Sinai fire disaster that claimeda over 100 lives and just a week after wild fires ravaged valuable forest cover in Aberdares and Mt Kenya forests.

On Monday, lawyers, doctors, computer and mobile phone suppliers and other proprietors were counting loses following the fire at Kimathi House. Consumer Federation of Kenya chief executive Stephen Mutoro criticised City Council of Nairobi and Government’s Disaster Response Centre for failing to help investors.

"The Government has not demonstrated commitment to enacting a fire policy despite successive disasters countrywide," Mutoro said.

Mr Mutoro added Kenyans were lucky the fire happened on Sunday when there is less traffic and tenants were away.

Central OCPD Eric Mugambi said the cause was yet to be established. The building remains a no-go zone until it is declared safe for entry. GSU officers guarded the building as tenants and workers watched from far.

Several lawyers with firms located between fifth, and eighth floors of Kimathi House revealed on Monday that crucial clients’ documents, which include title deeds, share certificates, log books had been burnt in the inferno that took hours to contain.

The cause of the fire was yet to be known even as officials from Kenya Power ruled out an electric fault citing untampered circuits. But what caused concern was the inability to pump hydrants beyond second floor as helpless tenants and members of the public watched in despair.

dousing blaze

No tenant was present on Sunday when the incident happened. Later, theirs was to wait for hours to be let in to assess losses.

They were told to wait until experts declared the building safe. The inferno is said to have started shortly before 7pm on the fifth floor of the nine-storey building before spreading upwards. City Council firemen arrived at the building on time but it took them 15 minutes to start dousing the blaze.

Among law firms affected included Wafula Simiyu & Company, Maina Chege & Company, Kihara Muttu & Company, and Murungi Mwiti & Company, which workers said had lost all property.

"We had stored a number of crucial documents like title deeds, agreements, Cap books and other property related files, which have all gone," said Esther Gachie, who works with Wafula Simiyu & Company, which was on fifth floor.

A senior partner in Kihara Muttu & Company, Peter Kioko, said apart from several clients’ files, their property management company Trackers Property and Consultants was also reduced to ashes.

"When I was called, I thought it was a fools’ day joke and ignored until I received many calls on the same. We have virtually lost all that was there and mind you it was a big law firm," said Kioko.

An employee at S W Ndegwa & Company said their office that was located on the fourth floor was flooded with water, which damaged files.

Another law firm, Ashtiva & Advocates was also affected by the inferno. A major Safaricom dealer identified as Smartphone had his shop on fifth floor reduced to ashes while a popular gynecologist, Dr Chewe, had his clinic also affected.

low pressure

Also affected was private college Leaders Institute, an events management company Havy and several telecom dealers on the floors.

The owner of the building who only identified himself as Mutuma was among people who rushed to the scene, but refused to talk to journalists.

"For now, we are interested in ensuring the fire is put out. There is little we can say," he said.

At least five fire engines rushed to the building situated at the junction of Kimathi Street and Kenyatta Avenue in efforts to contain the fire, which burned until 3am.

According to City Chief Fire officer Peter Ngugi, they responded to the fire within five minutes but their engines could not push water to the affected floors because of low pressure that was in a nearby hydrant.

"We did our best to respond to the situation but established the fire was far up and the hydrant that we fixed could not push the water," he said.

Ngugi said the council currently has three engines but only two are functional.

"When the first engine arrived at the scene, smoke was billowing. Council officials and public towed vehicles that had been parked outside the building, which hampered efforts to contain the fire. This attracted public’s anger. They started to shout at the officials," he recounted. It took the intervention of fire engines from the military, General Service Unit, G4S, KK and other commercial companies to enable them push the water into the floors as the fire spread fast.

Nakumatt Downtown

The building is significant as it hosts a number of key firms including Kenya Commercial Bank, Metropolitan Teachers Sacco, Pergamon Group, chemists, Leaders Institute, fashion stores, M-Pesa agents and stores, among others.

It is directly opposite former Nakumatt Downtown supermarket, which was burnt three years ago killing more than 20 people.

Mayor George Aladwa said the fire department needs to be fully equipped, adding they will be testing hydrants on a regular basis.

Ngugi said it is the work of Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company to ensure there is enough water and pressure.