Morning fire burns down shoe section of Gikomba market

A fire broke out early Sunday morning in the footwear section of Gikomba Market, near Lamu Road in the Majengo area of Pumwani.

The blaze, which broke out around 3:00 am, ravaged the footwear section, destroying goods worth an unconfirmed amount.

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan confirmed the incident, noting that firefighters, assisted by local volunteers, managed to contain the blaze.

A video shared by the MP shows huge blaze razing down a section of the market.

"A huge fire broke out around 3 a.m. in the footwear section of Gikomba Market, near Lamu Road in Majengo, Pumwani. The county fire engine is now on-site, and both firefighters and local residents are making efforts to bring the flames under control," the legislator posted on X.

However, Hassan did not disclose the cause of the fire, which remains a subject of investigation.

Gikomba Market has once again been engulfed in flames.

In the early hours of April 1, 2025, a fire broke out in the Kwa Mbao section, causing widespread devastation.

According to reports, the blaze started around 3:00 am, quickly consuming the entire area and spreading to the adjacent bus station.

Traders affected by the fire believe that faulty electrical wiring might have triggered the blaze. This was not the first time the Kwa Mbao area experienced such a disaster, with a similar fire reported on March 1, 2025.

Many traders have also raised suspicions that the fires are deliberately set by competitors aiming to eliminate business rivals, while others accuse land grabbers of orchestrating the destruction.

On April 9, 2025, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki ordered the police and other investigative bodies to probe the repeated market fires occurring in key areas like Gikomba and Toi Market.

"The government has tasked the relevant agencies with investigating the causes behind the frequent fires in Nairobi City County markets, including Gikomba and Toi Market, and with developing thorough, long-term measures to prevent such incidents in the future," said a statement from the Deputy President’s office.