State will support Embakasi fire victims – DP Gachagua

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said the government will support victims of the Embakasi gas tragedy.

Speaking when he visited the scene on Friday, the DP said those culpable in the gas explosion incident will be held accountable.

"The government, led by President William Ruto condoles with families, friends and relatives of those who have lost their kin and wishes a quick recovery to those recuperating at the hospitals. We will support the affected families as they come to terms with the tragedy and rise to rebuild their lives," he said.

The DP said the government will put measures to help the families that were displaced with food and shelter.

He, however, called on Kenyans to avoid shortcuts in a bid to look for easy money.

Meanwhile, Gachagua ordered a crackdown on garages conducting illegal businesses such as fuel and gas siphoning. 

"We will be asking our security committee here in Nairobi to frequently supervise these garages where vehicles are brought in pretense for service, they pretend that they are coming for service but they are looking to siphon fuel and gas from vehicles. That is unacceptable behaviour," the DP said.

He said the trend has led to loss of lives, injuries and damage to property.

The DP claimed that rogue drivers employed by the government conspire with garage owners to run the illegal businesses.

The Thursday night gas explosion left three people dead and over 280 nursing injuries.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the county has put in place measures to shelter families affected by the incident.

Sakaja said close to 250 affected families have been identified.

"Nairobi City County is taking immediate action to shelter the families affected by the recent incident in Embakasi. The families will be accommodated in the County Embakasi Social Hall, located in Utawala near the scene of the incident," Sakaja said.

Detectives in collaboration with other state agencies have launched investigations into the explosion.

Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said they are seeking to unravel its cause.

"Investigations are underway to establish the real cause of the explosion," Mwaura said.

He maintained that the owners of the facility must take full responsibility including compensating the victims.

The Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations (KARA) accused oversight authorities of failing to enforce rules and regulations to protect the public from exposure to danger.

KARA said the Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage and filling plant operated within a residential area.

"It is now emerging that the owners of the plant made an application for a license to operate the facility but were denied yet they continued to operate without a license,” KARA Chief Executive Officer Henry Ochieng said.