Fire destroys 10 warders' houses in Nanyuki Prison

Nanyuki Prison officer Joshua Maingi at the scene where a fire destroyed 10 houses belonging to prison warders on December 21, 2017. PHOTO | MWANGI NDIRANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  MWANGI NDIRANGU

What you need to know:

  • A fire razed to the ground 10 houses at Nanyuki Prison.
  • Many officers lost all their property including children's school uniforms and school certificates.

Prison warders at Nanyuki Prison, Laikipia County, lost property worth millions of shillings after a fire razed to the ground 10 residential houses on Thursday morning.

The fire, whose cause is yet to be established, began at 3am and though no injuries were reported nothing was salvaged in the inferno.

INFERNO

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Deputy Officer in charge of the prison Joash Onyango said the fire started from officer Ronny Gatobu’s house and spread to the adjacent ones. The officer was away at the time.

Mr Onyango said police have launched investigations into the incident.

County government fire fighters teamed up with their counterparts from Laikipia Air Base to put out the inferno.

Mr Gatobu said he had gone to spend the night near a private plot he is developing at Makutano Estate, intending to supervise construction work at dawn. His wife and two children are currently in Meru Town on holiday.

An inmate at Nanyuki Prison assists prison officer Loch Galoro (right) in rummaging through debris after a fire razed to the ground 10 houses belonging to prison officers on December 21, 2017. PHOTO | MWANGI NDIRANGU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

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“I have lost property worth Sh500,000, including certificates, school books and uniforms, clothes and household goods. All I am left with are the clothes I am wearing now,” said the officer.

Officer Alice Njeri said she was woken up by thick smoke and she dashed out of her house. Nothing was salvaged from her house and all she had left were the clothes she was putting on.

Mr Onyango appealed to well-wishers to donate beddings, iron sheets and other items to help the officers rebuild their lives.

He added that most of the prison warders who lost property have children in school.

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