Nakuru gets three fire engines from UK Rotary Club

 

The three Volvo fire engines will be deployed to Bahati, Molo and Naivasha sub-counties to improve response to fire outbreaks and other emergencies. [Courtesy]

Nakuru County is set to strengthen its fire and emergency response services following a donation of three fire engines by a United Kingdom Rotary Club in partnership with Penrith Community Fire Station.

The three Volvo fire engines, which have been decommissioned and reconditioned, will be deployed to Bahati, Molo and Naivasha sub-counties to improve response to fire outbreaks and other emergencies.

The donation was handed over during a flag-off ceremony held at Penrith Fire Station in the UK, attended by members of Workington Rotary Club, fire and rescue officials and representatives of the Nakuru County government.

Workington Rotary International Chairman Kenneth Kirkwood said the donation followed a request by Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika, who raised concerns over the high number of fire incidents recorded in the county.

“Her letter indicated that between 2023 and 2025, the fire and rescue office recorded 887 fire incidents, 440 of which were house fires, followed by road traffic incidents, grass fires and rescue operations,” he said.

Kirkwood said the figures translated to an average of 25 incidents every month, raising concerns about the county's capacity to respond to emergencies.

“It is on this basis that, as chairman of Workington Rotary Club, I took the initiative to help Nakuru County. I discussed with Johnny Wills, the Penrith Fire Station manager, the possibility of providing some of their reconditioned, decommissioned fire engines for donation,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of Governor Kihika, Professor Moses Lang’at of Kew Gardens in London conveyed the county government's gratitude to Workington Rotary Club and Penrith Community Fire Station for the donation.

In a message read by Cynthia Waggah, the governor thanked the organisations for supporting Nakuru's efforts to improve emergency response and protect lives and property.

The three engines are expected to arrive in Kenya following shipment from the UK. The next vessel is scheduled to leave Sheerness on November 28, with the consignment expected to reach the Kenyan port around Christmas.

Before deployment, a six-member fire and rescue training team will travel to Kenya in mid-January 2027 for a two-week programme covering mandatory Level One basic fire and rescue skills.

The training is expected to strengthen the capacity of local firefighters to operate the donated equipment and improve emergency response across the three sub-counties.