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Nairobi to launch 3 new fire stations

Veska Kangogo

Nairobi Devolution CEC Veska Kangogo. FILE PHOTO | NMG

City Hall is set to launch three newly-constructed fire stations before May in a bid to enhance its response to disasters and emergencies in the capital.

The three fire stations – Kangundo Road, Waithaka and Ruaraka fire stations – were completed over a year ago but their commissioning had stalled.

The construction of the three fire stations began in April, 2018 and were to be launched in September, 2019 but that has never been the case.

Nairobi Devolution Executive Veska Kangogo said the three will now be commissioned before the end of May to add to the two fire stations currently operating in Nairobi.

The two functional fire stations include Khoja fire station on Tom Mboya Street in the Central Business District and another at Industrial Area which were built before Kenya got independence in 1963.

Ms Kangogo said the opening of the three new fire stations had been held up by delay by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to clear a container carrying communication equipment, donated by the Belgian government, for use in the command centre at the Inland Container Depot (ICD).

However, she said the county government has written to the Ministry of Devolution to follow up on the matter and have KRA expedite the release of the container.

The equipment were part of Phase I of a partnership between the government of Belgium and City Hall where the county government received from Belgium through KBC Bank NV –M/s Somati Vehicles, 29 vehicles inclusive of firefighting engine ambulances and a ladder truck, personal protection equipment, breathing apparatus sets, communication systems, among others at a cost of more than Sh1.1 billion.

“We are just waiting for KRA to release to us the communication equipment stuck in the container at ICD. They told us to relist what is inside the containers and we have done so after requesting for the list from Belgium,” said Ms Kangogo.

“We already finished the construction of the fire stations and we are equipping the command centre in Ruaraka. We have a target that by May 21, 2021, which is the deadline for the completion of the phase one, all the fire stations should be operational by then.”

She said City Hall has already recruited additional 300 fire fighters to be deployed at the new fire stations with 200 more to be added as the county had a shortage of staff to man all the five fire stations.

In September 2019, a report from City Hall revealed that Nairobi had only 120 trained firefighters, 11 more retired at the end of that year and 13 in 2020.