Residents relive night of horror, pledge to restore what they lost

Gikomba residents who were lucky to escape the Wednesday night fire tragedy that killed 16 people, were Friday inconsolable as they told heart-breaking stories of how they lost their loved ones.

Ms Betty Kaveke, a mother of four lost two of them in the market fire, while two others are being treated for severe burns at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

Ms Kaveke says she will never be able to cope with the tragedy, wishing she had been home when the fire broke out.

She had left her four children under the care of her two workers to go and collect merchandise for her business.

“I wish it happened while I was around. I would have tried to do something to save them. As a mother, I would have fought for my children,” she said weeping.

FOUND AT KNH

On Thursday morning, the eldest a 14-year-old boy was found at KNH while a nine-year-old girl was rescued from the fire by street bodies.

The bodies of the other two were discovered at the Chiromo Mortuary Friday morning.

“What will I tell the two when they are discharged? That their siblings died? How will I start?” she posed.

When the Nation visited the hospital yesterday accompanying Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, survivors told of last-minute decisions that saved their lives.

DONATE BLOOD

Ms Kariuki asked Kenyans to come out in large numbers to donate blood for the survivors.

“I am grateful to the well-wishers who have taken their time to save the situation, the government will see a way of helping the survivors to get back to their normal lives,” she said.

KNH acting chief executive Thomas Mutie, said they had received 74 patients -- 28 males and 46 females and 17 children.

FIVE DEAD

Five patients, including a child succumbed to their injuries at KNH while at least 10 others died in other city hospitals.

“The number has increased to six. We lost a child yesterday morning as he was receiving treatment,” Dr Mutie said, adding that the majority of patients were treated for anxiety, burns, and soft tissue injuries.

By Friday noon, 24 patients had been treated and discharged while 47 were still on treatment.

Five patients sustained burns above 30 per cent and are in the Intensive Care Unit.

“We are hoping that we will be able to arrest the situation as early as possible to avoid more deaths. The ones in ICU are stable,” Dr Mutie said.

SURVIVORS

Survivors who managed to escape from a burning house just near the market said they could hear children and grown-ups screaming.

Samson Allan said he jumped from the sixth floor to save his life and was unscathed.

“I was on the sixth floor. On top of the building and staircase was covered by thick smoke. All we were breathing in was smoke. We were suffocating. I had to find a way and I decided to jump,” said Allan, a student at Technical University, who was living with a friend in the rented house.

“You know when we heard people screaming and struggling to move downstairs heading towards the fire, we decided with my roommate to jump and we thank God we survived,” he said.

Charles Mwendwa Kioko, a maize seller at the market escaped death by a whisker.

LOUD BANG

He lived on the second floor in a house neighbouring the market, he heard a loud bang and soon the whole house was covered in smoke.

He rushed downstairs where he came face to face with the inferno but he was lucky to escape with burns on the face, hands, and chest. He was all alone in the house.

“I thank God; I made it. It is very unfortunate that we lost some of our friends some of them children, whom I could hear screaming for help but there was nothing I could do,” he said

Ms Winnie Angwenyi was woken up by a neighbour.

They both came out and performed first aid on their two children by placing wet towels on their mouths and noses.

“The towels really helped us, none of the children breathed the poisonous chemicals,” she told the Nation.