Kiambu Woman Rep Gathoni Wamuchomba. [Photo|thebigissue.co.ke]
Kiambu Woman representative Gathoni Wamuchomba has blamed increasing cases of accidental fires in the county on residents' 'carelessness' or 'evil spirits'.
Speaking on Tuesday in Kiambia village, Kiambaa, she said fire incidents had increased in the county, and therefore, a need to put more mitigation mechanisms.
“It’s saddening to see frequent fire outbreaks rendering families homeless. We are either careless with our electric devices or some evil spirit is behind these frequent fires,” Wamuchomba said as quoted by the Star.
She said that she had been to over four different places across the county to console fire victims over the last four weekends.
Wamuchomba donated foodstuffs to 35 families whose houses were razed by fire last weekend. She donated maize, beans and iron sheets to the families to rebuild their houses. The donations were given by the Devolution ministry, she said.
In early November, a mysterious early morning fire destroyed property worth more than half a million shillings in a telecommunication shop along Kwame Nkrumah Road in Thika Town.
The fire reduced to ashes most of the telecommunication equipment in the shop situated on the second floor of Githitu Building prompting allegations of foul play due to the manner the place burst into flames.
Later the same month, more than 50 families in Gachagi slums had to spend a night in the cold after a bonfire razed their houses in what was suspected to be as a result of illegal electric connection by one of the residents.