• Koja fire station on Tom Mboya street was built in 1907 and another at Industrial Area built in 1957.
• County has two fire stations under construction funded by the World Bank.
Image: FILE
The Nairobi county government is yet to build new fire stations despite yearly allocation of at least Sh 1.6 billion since the start of devolution.
The capital depends on only two stations built before Independence.
With a population of more than four million, the county relies on the Koja fire station on Tom Mboya street which was built in 1907 and another at Industrial Area built in 1957.
Nairobi suffers frequent fires especially in the slums and markets which destroy property worth millions of shillings. Sometimes people are injured or die in the fires.
Last year, the county government said it would recruit 1,200 firefighters. Applicants were selected and trained but the process was halted.
The county director of Fire and Rescue Services Brian Kisali said on Friday Nairobi has only 120 trained firefighters.
"We only have 120 firefighters including myself. Eleven are set to retire at the end of the year and 13 in 2020," Kisali said.
"Currently, we are training volunteers. We are also in contact with subcounty administrators who assist to mobilise youths for training, where they are given some allowance for their work," he said.
The County Assembly Public Service Board is expected to hire 200 more firefighters in July.
The county has 52 fire engines.
City Hall had 10 second hand fire engines in 2016 donated by the Japanese government.
In October 2017, Somati Vehicles NV, a Belgium- based company, donated 26 fire engines to the county government.
Last year, only 103 out of the 4044 hydrants were functional.
The county's Disaster Management and Coordination chief officer Ann Mwenda said most of the hydrants were damaged when the Thika Superhighway was being constructed.
The functioning hydrants are located at Globe roundabout, Runda, Kijabe street, Safari Park, one at James Gichuru and three at Industrial Area.
Mwenda said the World Bank is constructing boreholes along Enterprise Road, Kangundo Road, Tom Mboya street, Waitahka and Dagoretti to assist in places where the hydrants have dried up.
New fire stations
The county has two fire stations under construction funded by the World Bank.
In February, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko said one of the stations in Mowlem ward is 75 per cent complete.
"Once complete the fire station will be fully equipped with fire engines, ambulances, and adequate personnel to run the operations. It will also have its own boreholes for water supply," Sonko said.
The other fire station under construction is in Waithaka ward and is said to be 60 per cent complete.
Another in Gigiri was reclaimed last August from a private developer who was accused of land grabbing.
Sonko then ordered county fire engines to be moved to the site and the premises became a fire station.
Sonko has said he plans to put up at least one fire station in each of the 17 sub-counties.