Fire incident at Kanga High School a year ago

Migori residents want Governor Zachary Okoth Obado to buy a fire engine as he had pledged in his campaigns in the election.

The calls come after property worth millions were reduced to ashes after fire gutted down a petrol station and several houses at Uriri trading center in Uriri sub-county where Obado hails from.

The fire broke out at around 11am on Tuesday at the only petrol station in town in a cause which is yet to be established.

“The fire suddenly broke out when a radio repairer lit a jiko a few metres from the petrol station to use for his radio repair work after an electric black out,” Ohuru Obwanda, a witness said.

He narrated how fire spread quickly gutted down property as people watched helplessly and was among residents who blamed county government over property loss for not buying fire engines three years after devolution.

Uriri MP aspirant Omondi Gwonyo said Obado promised to purchase fire engine in all eight sub-counties, but has failed by concentrating on “non-issue” projects like erecting electronic billboards which displays his functions.

“The county government has refused to learn from many fire incidents experienced in the county by purchasing fire engines,” Gwonyo said.

In an interview with Migori News over the phone on Tuesday, Gwonyo said on March 22 fire burnt down a dormitory and a laboratory at Mukuyu Secondary in Uriri within days when Pramo Secondary School was torched by rioting students over mission results.

“In both cases the public watched helplessly as property went up in flames with Obado only comin afterwards with iron sheets. This has been happening in all fire incidents which should stop,” he said.

Migori County currently relies on a fire engine from Sony Sugar Company which is privately owned and cannot cover the whole county.

In 2014, Migori county government advertised tender of purchasing fire engines after assembly allocated funds for purchases, but procurement bureaucracy has scuttled their purchase.

County executive for Environment and disaster management Elijah Odhiambo in a phone interview said the county will acquire a fire engine before July.

“We are going to purchase the engine before the end of the current financial year,” he said.

He said Migori will acquire only one engine for the “time being”.