Over 200 families left homeless after massive fire guts Nairobi’s Githogoro area
By Emmanuel Rono, July 4, 2026More than 200 families have been rendered homeless after a massive fire razed houses in the Githogoro informal settlement in Karura Ward, Nairobi.
The blaze, which broke out at around noon on July 3, 2026, destroyed homes and household property, leaving hundreds of residents without shelter.
The cause of the fire had not been established by the time of publication. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Residents appeal for support
Residents said they were away at work when the fire broke out, only to receive distress calls informing them that their homes had been engulfed in flames.
“I was at work when I received a phone call that fire had broken out at our plot. We have been affected badly because everything we owned was destroyed,” Samuel Wekesa said on Saturday, July 4, 2026.
Another resident, Dorine Kiribo, said they lost all their belongings in the inferno and are now sleeping in the open or seeking refuge in churches and makeshift shelters.
“Our houses were burnt while we were away at work. We managed to save nothing. Some people are sleeping outside, others in vegetable stalls, while some have taken shelter in churches. We are appealing for help,” she said.
Kitisuru MCA Alvin Olando, who visited the scene, assured the affected families that leaders were working to address their immediate needs, including replacing identity cards destroyed in the fire.
Gikomba fire tragedy
The Githogoro tragedy comes weeks after a fire incident broken out at Nairobi’s busy Gikomba Market, with the blaze reported near the fish section, triggering an emergency response as authorities move to contain the situation and prevent further destruction at one of the country’s largest open-air trading hubs.
In a statement shared by Kenya Red Cross Society on its X account on Sunday, June 21, 2026, the humanitarian agency confirmed that emergency response teams had been deployed to the scene as efforts began to contain the rapidly spreading blaze.
The fire, triggered a swift emergency response in one of the capital’s busiest informal trading centres, with responders moving quickly to assess the situation and prevent further destruction.
“A huge fire has been reported at Gikomba Market near the fish side area. Response teams are at the scene. Updates to follow,” Kenya Red Cross said in the statement.