Fire Razes 50 Shops at Makimeny Market as Traders Count Million-Shilling Losses

Traders at Makimeny Market in Chepalungu are counting losses running into millions of shillings after a fierce fire gutted more than 50 shops on Wednesday night.

According to residents, the fire broke out at around 8:00 p.m. in one of the shops before spreading rapidly to adjacent structures.

Kiplangat Ruto, a resident who joined members of the public in battling the inferno for over two hours, said strong winds and the timber-built stalls fueled the flames, making it difficult to contain the blaze.

“The dry wood and strong winds made it impossible to put out the fire. We tried our best, but it spread too fast,” said Ruto.

The arrival of the Bomet County fire engine brought some relief, but firefighters struggled to access the burning section of the market due to the lack of proper access roads.

Makimeny Location Chief Francis Mwei, who coordinated efforts to control the inferno, said the lack of a road network crippled the disaster response.

“We faced a real headache due to the absence of access roads. It nearly crippled efforts by the disaster officers,” said Mwei.

He added that the incident should serve as a wake-up call to improve infrastructure at the busy market.

“We will reach out to the county government to help us plan and open up road networks in the trading centre,” he said, noting that many shops could have been saved if the fire truck had easy access to the scene.

Chepalungu MP Victor Koech condemned the slow response by the county disaster team, saying the tragedy exposed major weaknesses in emergency preparedness.

“There is an urgent need to improve disaster response. This is the second fire incident in Chepalungu, and nothing was salvaged. The response is wanting,” said Koech.