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Kenya continues to grapple with tragic fire incidents that have become all too common. Every few months, we are confronted with headlines about students perishing in dormitory fires, families losing homes in informal settlements, or lives disrupted in apartment block blazes. Behind every headline is a painful story of loss, trauma, and possibly preventable tragedy.
Data from the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) shows that over the past 14 years, fire incidents have steadily risen in frequency, although fatalities have slightly decreased. Fires now rank second only to road traffic accidents (RTAs) in terms of occurrence, and third in fatalities after armed conflict and RTAs.
Between 2020 and 2024, a total of 1,606 fire incidents were reported across 17 counties, with Nairobi, Nyeri, Kiambu, Nakuru, Mombasa, and Bomet experiencing the most significant impacts. These fires affected 28,000 households (Hhs), resulting in 2,392 casualties, 11 missing persons, and 293 fatalities (KRCS,2024).
Despite the frequency of these incidents, fire safety remains a neglected priority, only attracting national attention following major catastrophes that generate public outrage and media headlines. It is time we asked ourselves, why do these fires keep happening, and what are we doing (or failing to do) to prevent them?