Two children died on Monday night after a fierce fire razed down their house at Majengo slums in Nanyuki town.
The fire whose cause is yet to be established occurred at around 9 pm in Kisumu Ndogo area and quickly spread to several houses within the informal settlement leaving behind a trail of destruction.
The two children who died in the fire included a girl aged four and her one-and-a-half-year-old brother.
Residents who tried to put out the inferno blamed the local fire brigade for the children’s, accusing them of slow response.
“Firefighters came late despite alerting them early when the fire was first spotted. When they arrived, they just stood still watching us as we battled the fire. We felt like chasing them away,” said Peter Oduor, a local resident.
“We did not manage to salvage anything. But we all blame it on the firefighters. The government should prioritize helping its people but not channeling our resources in unnecessary things,” he added.
A resident, Mary Muthoni, said the fire spread quickly adding: “We could not help much and we felt bitter as the bodies were being removed. Until now, we have not seen the mother of the two deceased children,” she said.
