Man killed in lodging fire at Mukuru-Kamongo slum

Houses engulfed by fire at Kijiji slum in Lang'ata, Nairobi, last year. A man was killed after fire broke out at a lodging at Nairobi's Mukuru-Kamongo slum on June 11, 2019. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • The rooms, which cost Sh50 per night, are usually booked by matatu touts and other casual labourers in Nairobi’s Industrial Area.

One person died while two others escaped death by a whisker after fire broke out at a lodging at a slum in Nairobi on Tuesday morning.

According to the owner of the lodging, Mrs Hellen Wanza, residents were woken up by screams from a room at the building located at Mukuru-Kamongo slum in Industrial Area at around 4am.

“It is believed the man might have forgotten to put out a candle before he slept. Two people escaped unhurt,” Mrs Wanza told Nation.

CASUAL LABOURERS

Ms Catherine Wawira, another lodging owner in the slum, alleged the man always rented a room at her facility. She claimed that he might have shifted to the nearby lodging after accumulating lodging fees at her place. 

The rooms, which cost Sh50 per night, are usually booked by matatu touts and other casual labourers in Nairobi’s Industrial Area. Police are investigating the cause of the fire.