Over 300 households in Mukungu village, Kibra, have received emergency relief following a fire that broke out on Wednesday afternoon.
The inferno left hundreds homeless and destroyed property worth millions of shillings.
Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku visited the area on Friday morning to assess the damage.
“I committed to the government's support in emergency relief aid to temporarily alleviate the plight of the victims,” the CS said.
Later in the day, the government delivered food, beddings, and dignity packs to the affected families.
The CS said the government is working on long-term solutions to frequent fires in informal settlements.
“As part of the long-term solutions to the high number of fire disasters in the informal settlements, the government is constructing affordable houses in many urban informal villages such as Kibra, Mukuru kwa Njenga, Mukuru kwa Reuben, and Korogocho,” he said.
The CS was accompanied by Senator Karen Nyamu and Kibra MP Peter Ochieng during the visit.
He noted that incidents of fires have become very common in the informal settlements, especially in Nairobi, but the government is committed to ending such tragedies and to protecting the lives and properties of citizens.
Ruku added that the affordable housing projects in the informal settlements spearheaded by President William Ruto are a sustainable solution to such incidents.
He said the housing project will ensure the lives and properties of Kenyans are protected while providing humane and decent living environments.
The Wednesday evening massive fire tore through the densely populated neighbourhood, leaving a trail of destruction and displacing scores of families.
According to an eyewitness, the fire, which broke out around 6 pm quickly engulfed dozens of structures.
"The firefighting response was hampered by water shortages and delays in reinforcement, with the first fire engine soon running dry and urgent pleas for more water going out," the witness said.
The Kenya Red Cross Nairobi Branch said their response teams quickly arrived at the scene to contain the blaze and ensure the safety of residents over the inferno that affected residential houses.
"The Nairobi Fire Brigade, Kenya Red Cross Action Team, Kenya Police and the community members are on the ground, working together to contain a fire that broke out at 1810Hrs, affecting residential houses," Kenya Red Cross Nairobi Branch said on X.
