Fire guts down country's leading potato research center in Molo

MOLO, KENYA: A massive fire broke out last Tuesday night at the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) Potato Cold Plant and Tissue Culture Laboratory in Molo, Nakuru County.

According to the corporation Managing Director Andrew Tuimur, the fire broke out at around 10pm and destroyed property worth Sh30million.

Dr. Tuimur, who drove from Nairobi on Wednesday morning to assess the damage caused by the inferno, said the section of the multimillion complex that was affected had more than 500 bags of graded potato seeds that were ready for distribution to farmers.
"This is a major setback to our plans to revive the potato sector in the country that has been affected by lack of certified seeds," he said.
Initial reports indicate that the fire might have been caused by power outage that occurred in Molo town at around 9pm.
"There was a power black-out in Molo at around 9pm and when it was restored, a fire broke out from the regional manager's office and quickly spread to the grading area," said a security guard at the facility located in Molo town.
An Emergency Response Unit at Timelsales Company in the Elburgon helped in stopping the fire from spreading to the newly refurbished Potato Tissue Culture Laboratory, which cost the government sh100million.