Fire Guts Down Several Villas in Malindi Worth Millions of Shillings

By Charo Banda

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Villa owners in Malindi in Kilifi County are counting losses in millions of shillings after fire gutted down several properties.

The fires spread very fast bringing down at least 12 executive villas along the Casino beachline as residents blamed the Malindi Municipality for the slow response to the incident.

According to Samuel Kaduka, an employee to one of the villas, the fire broke out at around 3 am after fire from a burning garbage from an alleged grabbed neighboring beach plot spread by strong winds blowing from the Indian ocean.

“I take care of a plot around the beach and there were some people who grabbed a nearby plot and they were burning garbage at around 3 am in the morning but they failed to control the fire due to strong winds from the ocean that made the fire spread to other properties,” he said.

“We demand action from the Malindi fire brigade and also, the land grabbers and action should be taken against those who started the fire,” he added.

The employee claimed that fire-fighters from the municipality arrived at the scene when the fire had not spread much, but they didn’t do anything.

Brenda Kombe, another employee, said that she would now be jobless since her employer’s villa had burned to ashes.

“I was away when I received a call from an employee of another villa and when I rushed here I found the house had just started burning and fire fighters were just there watching with their fire engine,” she said.

She blamed fire fighters for their slow response saying that they waited until all the villas were down before they started spraying water on the ashes and debris.

“Many a times houses burn in Malindi but the fire fighters drag themselves to respond. I am now jobless because the house I take care of has been reduced to ashes,” she said.