NAIROBI — A massive fire broke out early this morning in the footwear section of Gikomba Market, near Lamu Road in Majengo, Pumwani, leaving traders devastated once again.
Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan confirmed the 3 a.m. incident, noting that Nairobi County firefighters, assisted by local volunteers, managed to contain the blaze before it spread further. Fortunately, no injuries or casualties have been reported, according to preliminary reports.
“A massive fire erupted in the footwear section of Gikomba Market, adjacent to Lamu Road in Majengo in Pumwani at around 3 a.m. The county fire engine has arrived, and firefighters and local volunteers are battling to squash the inferno,” MP Hassan stated.
This morning’s fire marks yet another addition to the long series of mysterious and destructive blazes that have plagued Gikomba Market over the years. It comes just weeks after a similar fire on April 1, 2025, in the ‘Kwa Mbao’ area, which gutted over 500 businesses and spread to a nearby bus station. Traders in that incident blamed faulty electrical wiring but no official cause was confirmed.
Another major blaze hit the same area on March 1, 2024, and past fires have been recorded in 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024. Despite numerous investigations and outcries, the cycle of destruction continues.
As East Africa’s largest open-air market, Gikomba is vital to thousands of livelihoods. Today, affected traders are once again counting losses and renewing urgent calls for lasting solutions to prevent the market’s chronic fire outbreaks.
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