Over 3,000 persons left homeless after their houses burnt

Residents of Mathare Kosovo slum in the last minute rush to salvage properties after fire gutted the area on the night of Christmas eve. [David Njaaga,Standard]

The pungent smell of burned plastic assaults one’s nostrils on arriving at Kosovo slums in Mathare, where about 500 houses were gutted by fire on the night before Christmas. Several faces look in all directions, as victims try to come to terms with the reality of being rendered homeless.

Over 3,000 persons were forced to spend their Christmas in the cold and the situation had not changed a few days later.

Santa Claus had not set foot at a section of slum that was reduced to ashes by a mysterious fire that cut short preparations for the festivities.

Conflicting reports

All that was left were burnt greyish iron sheets, some twisted while others were crumbled.

There were burned plastic containers and electricity wires dangling precariously from electricity poles after getting consumed by fire until they got so tiny they could break. Witnesses gave conflicting theories on the cause of the fire with some attributing it to the use of electric cooking coil that may have exploded.

Others said it might have been due to the illegally-connected electricity while others also think it was caused by a stove that may have exploded. One thing they agree on is that the fire started “down there”, indicating the lower part of Kosovo lying at the valley.

Lucy Wambui, one of the victims stared into blank space as she recalled the 11pm incident on Sunday when she was awoken to the shouts of “fire.” She looked at the busy individuals searching through ashes while trying to collect valuables from the fire debris as she narrated her journey to nothingness.

She says when she heard the warning shouts, she first rushed her physically challenged daughter to safety before getting back to try to recover some items.

So intense

“I could not leave my child alone. When I came back, I found the fire had spread to the house. It was so intense I had to run for my life,” added Wambui.

For two nights, she has been in the cold with little help from well-wishers. She says a Good Samaritan accepted to accommodate her daughter for a while as she struggles to reconstruct her temporary house.

“My daughter is with a caring person. I could not spend the nights with them because I will burden the struggling family. I stay with other homeless families now until we find help,” said Wambui.

Wambui added that not even her national ID card was spared, a matter that has rendered her “nobody” and unable to access many services. But she is not alone. Many others are pondering the next move after the unforgiving fire consumed their all their belongings.