NAIROBI, Kenya — Ninety-six households in Kitui Village, Kamukunji Constituency, remain displaced weeks after a January fire razed their homes, forcing families to seek shelter in a nearby church that doubles as a school.
The fire struck on the eve of school reopening, destroying wooden and iron-sheet houses and leaving families exposed to cold, hunger, and uncertainty.
With nowhere else to go, dozens of families now sleep in a single church hall at night and vacate the space each morning so it can function as classrooms.
By day, displaced residents roam the area in search of assistance or temporary work. By night, they return to the same crowded hall, separating family spaces with chairs and bags in an attempt to preserve dignity.
“There is no privacy here,” said Beth Mukenyi, one of the victims. “Every morning we wake up very early to clear bedding so children can learn. Then at night, we come back and start again.”
Mukenyi said her family lost everything in the blaze. “We had just done school shopping. All of it burned. In the confusion, some people even stole what little remained,” she said.
Cooking is done outside, food supplies have run out, and women and elderly residents face particular hardship in the congested shelter. Parents rely heavily on school feeding programmes to ensure their children eat during the day, with some saying school has become safer than home.
Joseph Mwagangi, another resident, said the fire broke out at about 7:20 p.m. after he received a phone call alerting him. He rushed home while calling neighbours to help, but the flames spread rapidly.
“Three gas cylinders exploded,” he said. “Firefighters arrived around 10 p.m. By then, everything was gone. The only thing rescued from my house was a gas cylinder.”
Mwagangi now sleeps in the church with his wife and two children. He said the lack of privacy has created difficult situations, especially for women, who must leave the hall early each morning to allow school activities to continue.
Some of the destroyed houses were rental units. Residents say about three iron sheets have been distributed so far, but the supply is far from sufficient.
“If we had enough iron sheets, rebuilding could begin immediately,” Mwagangi said. “Many tenants cannot afford to move elsewhere. They are just waiting.”
Daniel Muli, director of Ebenezer Day School, said the disaster has placed enormous strain on the school, which now hosts displaced families while struggling to keep learners in class.
“Parents lost everything. Many cannot pay fees. Children sleep and learn in the same space,” Muli said, adding that some pupils have stopped attending school altogether. He appealed to well-wishers to support feeding programmes to keep children learning with dignity.
Kitui Village chairperson Kilonzo Nzuki said the fire is suspected to have been caused by an unattended gas stove. He blamed the scale of destruction on delayed response, noting that firefighters arrived nearly four hours later as they were attending another incident.
“There is a fire station in Gikomba, but it is incomplete,” Nzuki said. “If it were operational, lives and property would have been saved.”
Nzuki said 96 people were affected, including 37 homeowners. While some food and school uniforms have been provided, building materials remain the most urgent need.
Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan expressed sympathy and said he had supported affected families through cash transfers, food, and school uniforms. He pledged continued assistance and called for investigations into recurring fire outbreaks in informal settlements.
Addressing the victims, Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Ruku said fire incidents in Nairobi had become too frequent to ignore and called for community engagement and coordinated prevention efforts.
“These fires disrupt livelihoods and destroy hope,” Ruku said. “We must act together to prevent further loss.”
Weeks after the blaze, families in Kitui Village remain in limbo—waiting for iron sheets, food, and a chance to rebuild what was lost.
