A section of Embu leadership on Wednesday came to the rescue of traders at Shauri Market who lost their property in a fire incident that happened on Friday last week during a confrontation between boda boda operators and the police.
The fire is said to have been sparked by a teargas canister that was lobbed by the police at the demonstrating riders but missed the target and hit an electric cable in the market igniting the fire that razed over 200 stalls. The operators were protesting police harassment.
No conclusive report has so far been given on the cause of the fire by the concerned authorities.
Nominated MP and UDA gubernatorial candidate Cecily Mbarire led a host of other candidates and local leaders in a tour of the site and expressed concern and sympathy with the traders’ majority of who are yet to reconstruct their structures.
Over Sh. 1.05 million was raised during the visit that will go a long way in assisting the victims get their businesses back on foot. Among the donations was Sh 500,000 from Deputy President William Ruto.
The leaders at the same time heaped blame on the County Government for its unpreparedness in disaster response, saying the fire could have been contained with quick response on the part of fire officials.
MP Mbarire said the county government had never taken calamity management matters seriously and that is why it was ill-equipped with only one functional fire engine.
“No one knows when a disaster will strike and for that reason one must be fully prepared when in government,” the MP said while promising to bring the much needed change in governance if she is elected the next governor.
Manyatta Constituency MP hopeful on UDA ticket, Gitonga Mukunji called on the traders to form a Sacco to enable them pool resources together to enable them take loans for business expansion as well as a risk management strategy.
The leaders also pledged to push for the land demarcation and titling to ensure traders can be able to develop permanent structures that can withstand such disasters.
