A massive fire broke out in Ruiru’s Biashara Ward on Sunday morning, February 8, destroying property worth millions of shillings and leaving traders counting heavy losses.
The blaze started in the early morning hours near the entrance to the Ruiru municipal offices, close to the Ruiru Chief’s offices, and quickly spread through a cluster of business structures.
Witnesses at the scene said they heard a loud explosion shortly before flames became visible, raising suspicion that a gas leak or related fuel source may have triggered the incident. However, investigators have not yet released an official cause, and authorities say a technical assessment will be required before any firm conclusion is made.
Images and videos shared by residents and business owners showed rows of iron-sheet structures engulfed in flames, with thick smoke rising above the trading area. The affected premises reportedly housed small shops and storage spaces operated by local businesspeople. Many of the structures were closely packed, a factor that likely allowed the fire to move rapidly from one unit to another.
By the time the reports circulated widely online, traders said most of the affected stalls had already been destroyed. Merchandise, equipment, and stored stock were lost in the blaze.
Several business owners claimed they were unable to salvage anything due to the speed of the fire’s spread.
As of the time of reporting, no deaths had been officially confirmed. Authorities had also not released a verified injury count.
This lack of confirmed casualty data does not automatically mean no one was affected — it simply means verification had not been completed. In fast-moving incidents, early claims are often unreliable, and final figures usually come later through official channels.
Some residents expressed concern that emergency response teams were not immediately visible at the site during the early stages after the fire was first reported.
That claim has not yet been formally addressed by county emergency services. Response time will likely become a central issue once incident reviews begin, because fire containment speed often determines how much property gets saved.
The incident quickly took on a political angle after Biashara Ward Member of County Assembly Kimani Nduta linked the fire to a planned public participation meeting that was scheduled to take place in the area.
According to the MCA, the meeting was meant to engage local traders on a planned process for vacating the business area and discussing possible compensation arrangements.
Nduta suggested the timing of the fire raised difficult questions. He said traders and officials had been preparing for the meeting, only to wake up to the destruction instead.
He described the situation as suspicious and hinted at the possibility of deliberate interference aimed at disrupting the planned engagement. At this stage, that remains an allegation, not an established fact. No investigative agency has confirmed sabotage or criminal intent.
“We were to have a public participation meeting to see how people may vacate here and whether they may be compensated after they leave,”
Nduta said, adding that the coincidence in timing demands answers. Claims like these require evidence, and unless investigators confirm foul play, they remain political statements rather than findings.
The Ruiru blaze comes just days after another major fire incident affected an industrial facility along Mombasa Road, where part of Golden Africa Ltd, an oil company, caught fire and led to significant financial losses.
In that earlier case, county authorities confirmed the incident and said multiple agencies worked together to bring the situation under control. Preliminary findings there pointed to industrial risk factors and combustible materials as contributors to the fire’s spread.
The pattern is clear: densely built trading and industrial zones with flammable materials create high-risk environments. When safety standards, spacing, and inspection enforcement fall short, fires scale fast and losses multiply.
For the Ruiru incident, the key facts still pending are the confirmed cause, verified loss estimates, response timeline, and whether any regulatory failures played a role.
Until investigators release technical findings, every theory — gas leak, electrical fault, or deliberate act — stays unproven. What is certain is that dozens of traders face sudden economic disruption, and recovery will depend on insurance coverage, county action, and verified accountability..
