Westlands MP Tim Wanyonti donates 500 iron sheets to Toi market fire tragedy victims
Westlands lawmaker Tim Wanyonyi has donated 500 iron sheets that will be used for the reconstruction of Toi market in Kibera.
The market was razed by fire on June 11, 2023, rendering hundreds of traders stranded.
Property worth millions of shillings was also destroyed.
Mr Wanyonyi, who shelved his bid to contest for the Nairobi gubernatorial bid in the 2022 elections, announced on his socials that the move was aimed at helping the traders reconstruct their lives.
He urged the government to deal with those who set the market on fire.
“The government must decisively deal with terrorists razing down city markets. Earlier, during my visit to Toi market in Kibra whose traders’ property was destroyed by a recent fire. I donated 500 iron sheets to aid in the reconstruction process,” Wanyonyi posted on his social media account.
The fire is reported to have started at about 2am.
Several business people suffered severe cuts and burns in the incident as they rushed to try and salvage what was left of their businesses.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established but the traders and locals suspect it could have been as a result of an electric fault.
The open-air market, famous for used clothes, fresh produce, artefacts and toys, is located on the outskirts of Kibera slum, one of the biggest informal settlements in Africa.
The market with 3,500 stalls and more than 5,000 small-scale traders sits on a four-acre plot on Suna Road and there have been plans by the Nairobi City County government to erect modern houses on the parcel.
Nairobi governor Johnson Sakaja has also promised to help in re-building the market.
Police say they are investigating the incident.
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