🔥 Mathare Fire Tragedy: Six-Year-Old Child Dies as Community Blames Nairobi County for Delayed Response

Mlango Kubwa, Mathare — A devastating fire swept through Mlango Kubwa yesterday, leaving tragedy, anger, and heartbreak in its wake. A six-year-old child lost his life as residents desperately tried to contain the blaze while pleading for help from the Nairobi County Government — help they say never came when it mattered most.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out in the densely populated neighborhood and rapidly engulfed homes. Residents say they immediately alerted county emergency services, but no fire engine arrived in time to save lives or property. By the time county fire trucks appeared — nearly six hours later, according to locals — they reportedly arrived without water, leaving residents stunned and helpless.

By then, the damage was catastrophic.

An estimated 2,000 homes had already been reduced to ashes. Families watched their life's possessions vanish as the fire tore through the settlement. Parents, many carrying their children, scrambled for safety, but for one family, the nightmare took its most painful form when their six-year-old child was trapped and burnt to death.

“He was only six… full of dreams,” one neighbor said, fighting tears. “We screamed and screamed. We waited for the fire brigade. Nobody came.”

The sense of frustration and betrayal within the community is overwhelming. Many residents blame the Nairobi County leadership under Governor Johnson Sakaja, accusing the administration of negligence, poor disaster preparedness, and failing to protect the most vulnerable.

“This county has failed us,” another resident lamented. “Fire engines arrived with no water—what were they coming to do? We feel abandoned.”

Thousands of people are now homeless, with no shelter, no belongings, and no clear assistance plan communicated as of last night. Humanitarian appeals are beginning to emerge, as volunteers and local leaders try to coordinate emergency support.

The tragedy has sparked renewed calls for urgent reforms in Nairobi’s emergency response systems, with some community members insisting that the city must be transformed and its accountability reset.

“We shall reset this county and restore dignity,” one resident said. “People deserve a city that protects them — not one that watches as they burn.”

Investigations into the cause of the fire and the county’s delayed response are expected, but for Mathare, the damage is already done — and a young life has been lost forever.