Huge fire ravages Mt Kenya for 6 days as organisations appeal for support to put out flames

Mount Kenya Trust has sounded the alarm over a raging fire on Mount Kenya, releasing dramatic footage showing flames tearing through the mountain’s green vegetation as firefighters and volunteers battle to contain the inferno that has now stretched into its sixth day.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, September 6, 2026, the Trust said the fire had continued to burn despite sustained efforts by multiple organisations and friends of Mount Kenya who had been fighting it tirelessly for six days.

“Mt Kenya is on fire. Multiple organisations and friends of Mt Kenya have been fighting it tirelessly for 6 days,” the trust wrote.

The organisation accompanied the update with photographs and videos showing huge sections of vegetation engulfed by flames, with thick smoke billowing into the sky as the fire spread across the mountainous terrain.

The footage shows the blaze tearing through dense patches of low-lying vegetation, including thick thickets and herbs, in an area beneath the higher sections of the mountain that hikers use as they make their way towards Mount Kenya’s towering peaks.

In some of the scenes, flames can be seen stretching across a wide section of the mountainside, consuming the vegetation as plumes of smoke rise above the affected area.

People battling the fire are also captured in the footage using bushes and branches in desperate attempts to beat down the flames and prevent the inferno from spreading further across the mountain.

Fire report

The update came a day after Mount Kenya Trust issued a detailed situation report on Saturday, September 5, outlining the difficult battle that teams had been facing since the fire first broke out.

According to the trust, the first fire was detected on Monday, September 1, in inaccessible terrain after an informant alerted key Mount Kenya stakeholders before satellite detection systems also picked up the blaze.

Plans were immediately made to send teams to the affected area the following morning, with some responders leaving before 5am. However, reaching the fire proved difficult because vehicles could not proceed beyond a certain point, forcing teams to continue the journey on foot for several hours.

“By evening, plans for teams to reach the area the following morning were made. Despite some teams leaving for the area before 5 am, the fire area wasn’t reached until hours because the vehicles couldn’t proceed further and the teams had to reach it on foot for several hours,” it wrote.

Mount Kenya Trust said that over the following five days, as many as 17 fire points had been visible at one time, illustrating the scale and complexity of the unfolding crisis.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the fires remained largely concentrated on the eastern flank of Kibiaranyeki before spreading south and west on Thursday from Rutundu towards Lake Alice and Lake Ellis.

The trust said firefighters managed to put out some fires during the early hours, only for others to spread again by midday as powerful winds swept across the mountain.

“Over the last 5 days, we have had up to 17 fire points visible at one time. On Tuesday and Wednesday, fires remained on the eastern flank of Kibiaranyeki, but there were several of them. On Thursday, fires moved south and west from Rutundu towards Lake Alice and Lake Ellis,” it added.

The situation became particularly challenging around Rutundu and the Chogoria side of Lake Alice and Lake Ellis, where teams had been working to prevent the flames from advancing into new areas.

Although firefighters had made significant progress around Rutundu on Wednesday and Thursday, the trust said the fires later flared up again as strong winds returned.

The flames even crossed the Kathita Gorge, an area where teams had hoped the natural feature would help contain the fire on the western side.

The battle continued into Saturday, with teams deployed to different sections of the mountain as efforts to contain the spreading fires intensified.

At Rutundu, teams were dropped by helicopter from 6:30 am to reach the affected areas, allowing them to make early progress before the increasingly strong winds forced their withdrawal at around 1 pm for safety reasons.

“Today we had teams up at Rutundu, who dropped by helicopter to the fires around Rutundu from 6:30 am. After making good early-morning progress by 1 pm, the winds had picked up so much that the teams had to be withdrawn for their safety,” the report noted.

Meanwhile, large teams were also working towards the Chogoria side, although Mount Kenya Trust said it had not received an update from the area because there was no communication connection.

“Teams working towards Chogoria were present in large numbers, but we have no update as yet as there is no connection,” it wrote.

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