Fire leaves residents homeless

More than 20 families were left homeless on Thursday morning when a fire razed their houses in the Bangladesh slum.

The fire also destroyed a pharmacy, an M-Pesa stall, a book and stationery store and a retail shop.

Changamwe police chief Joseph Muthee said they received information from the slum dwellers that the 2am fire was caused by an electric fault.

“They have told us that but we have launched our investigations to establish the cause,” he said.

“The fire brigade contained the blaze, but a lot of property was destroyed.”

Shop owners said the value of property that went up in smoke was more than Sh6 million.

A cereal seller, Winfred Adhiambo, said she lost stock valued at Sh250,000. Her house was also destroyed.

“We have been left with nothing. My children could not go to school this morning because their uniforms and books were destroyed,” she said, adding that she took a bank loan to start the business.

“We spent the night in the cold and I just don’t know what will happen to us.”

Families were trying to salvage what was left of their belongings. “Most of our household goods were burnt. All our mattresses have been destroyed. It is the beginning of problems,” Ms Diana Odhiambo, a victim, said.

“We ask the national and county governments and the Kenya Red Cross to come to our assistance.”