- A huge fire erupted after a lorry carrying gas cylinders exploded on Thursday night.
- At least three people have been confirmed dead whil hundreds have been displaced.
Image: COLLINS APUDO
Opposition leader Raila Odinga has donated Sh1 million to help those affected by the Embakasy gas tragedy.
The government said a lorry carrying gas cylinders exploded on Thursday night, leaving a trail of destruction after a huge fire spread to a nearby informal settlement.
"Yesterday (Thursday) at around 11:30 pm, there was a huge explosion at Mradi area, in Embakasi, Nairobi County. One Lorry loaded with gas exploded, igniting a huge ball of fire that spread widely," said government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino announced on Saturday that Raila had sent the amount to him as part of his donation to the victims.
At the same time, Babu said he had also committed a personal donation of Sh1 million to help all those affected by the Thursday night explosion.
"Today morning H.E Baba Raila Amolo Odinga sent me 1 million Kenya Shillings to help the fire victims,'' Babu said on his official X account.
The MP in whose constituency the tragedy happened said more politicians allied to the Azimio coalition are also contributing to the kitty.
''In addition, I have donated an extra Sh1 million towards this noble cause totalling Sh2 million. Other Azimio Leaders are also contributing towards this,'' said Babu.
Mwaura on Friday visited the Embakasi area affected by fire following the tragedy and announced that three people had lost their lives.
He said the government had offered to pay rent for the affected families for two months as they pick up their pieces to start life again.
Addressing the residents, Mwaura said that the government was working with the Kenya Red Cross and the Nairobi county government to cushion them from the effects of the deadly Thursday night fire.
He offered his condolences to the families of the victims who succumbed to the fire.
"As of now, the government has established that three people died in the fire and 280 is the total number of those affected," Mwaura said.
Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control by around 9:00 am on Friday, more than nine hours after it erupted.
The explosion ignited a "huge ball of fire that spread widely", Mwaura posted on X.
The explosion forced many of the area's residents to spend the night outside as large columns of black smoke billowed from the area.