Waiguru donates food and mattresses to victims of Kagumo fire incident that killed two children

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has donated food and none consumables to nineteen families that were left homeless after a fire incident that killed two children in Kagumo town.

The families were left homeless after huge fire razed down a rental house they were living.

The victims lost all their households and personal belongings during the inferno that broke out on Monday at around 8pm.

The two children aged four years and the other four months were burnt to death after the wood and iron-sheets rental houses caught fire

The families received rice, maize flour, beans, mattresses, blankets, iron sheets and a cash donation of Ksh.100,000 to be shared among the affected families.

While expressing her sympathy to the families, Governor Waiguru who was represented by County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Finance and Economic Planning Jackline Njogu, Waiguru termed the fire incident as unfortunate.

The governor said County Government is putting up a modern fire station at Kutus that is expected to take care of the growing needs brought about by urbanization in the county.

She asked residents to seek approval for building so as to ensure houses meet the required safety standards.

Owner of the building said she is devastated as she had lost her only source of income.

 “As the owner of the house I am devastated, I lost everything, I depended on the rental income from this house and also help me to cater for the medical bills of my husband who is bedridden. We have not yet been able to establish how the fire started,” said Irene Karimi.

Karimi said the fire started in one of the rooms before spreading quickly to other wooden rooms.

“I was at home when I heard loud screams outside about fire outbreak but it did not click in my mind that the fire was consuming my rental houses, only to walk out and find that it was my property which was burning down,” she added.

She said that one of her female tenants came back screaming that her two children were trapped inside prompting firefighters who had already arrived to break into the room but unfortunately the kids had been consumed by the inferno.

Joseph Gitahi, a tenant, said he had lost personal effects like clothes, certificates and other valuables of unknown value.

The affected families thanked the governor for the donation saying this will go a long way in helping sort out their immediate needs.

Kirinyaga Central MP Gitari Gachoki and area Member of County Assembly (MCA) David Kinyua Wangui also condoled the families and asked police to investigate cause of the fire.

“We have come to join hands with the County Government and other well-wishers from all sectors to help the families affected by the inferno that razed down their properties and killed two small children,” the MP said.