A fire engulfed a five-storey residential apartment building at Mbagathi Greens Estate behind Maasai Mall in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County, on Tuesday morning, prompting residents to raise concerns over delays in emergency response.
The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning, with flames spreading across the upper floors of the building. Videos shared on social media showed the blaze intensifying as daylight broke.
As of 8.30am, the fire was still burning, with residents expressing concern over the apparent lack of an emergency response at the scene.
The incident sparked widespread reactions online, with Kenyans questioning the preparedness of national and county disaster response teams to handle fires and other emergencies.
Some social media users also raised concerns about the availability of water, fuel and other resources required by firefighting teams to contain major blazes.
One user recounted an alleged incident in Voi in which a fire brigade reportedly said it lacked fuel to respond to a truck fire near Maneaters and would need to refuel at a petrol station at the caller’s expense.
Others questioned the readiness of emergency services, drawing comparisons with a separate building collapse incident in Eastleigh.
Residents also expressed concern over the potential loss of property, with one person recording the blaze from a nearby high-rise building questioning the pace of the response.
As of 8.30am, no fatalities or injuries had been reported. The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage remained unknown by the time of publication.
The incident has renewed scrutiny of emergency response capacity in Kajiado County, particularly in rapidly growing urban centres such as Ongata Rongai, where expanding residential developments have increased the need for effective disaster preparedness and timely firefighting services.
