Revisiting Sinai Fire Tragedy: Residents are still gullible

In 2011, KPC sewer exploded, killing dozens of slum residents. Today, Sinai residents are sitting on a time bomb.

“Over there,” offered Sammy Gitonga, a trader on the makeshift market on the section of railway line overlooking Sinai slums on one side and Pipeline, on the other. 

Sensing that he flopped in pinpointing the exact point where in 2011 over 100 people lost their lives in the infamous Sinai tragedy, Gitonga changed tact:

“Follow the river upwards, can u see that pig?” he asked, directing my gaze to a dead pig floating on the polluted Ngong River. “Now, those two tree stumps over there were actually scorched in the fire.” 

With that map, I quickly paced through the narrow alleys sitting between and sometimes though the rusty iron sheet structures characterizing the sprawling Sinai slums in Nairobi’s Industrial Area. Determined to have a glimpse of what transpired two years after the infamous fire incident, I did not mind the open sewers, mud, stench, and scores of onlookers with mean faces. 

In 2011, Sinai slums broke into fire following petrol spillage from the nearby Kenya Pipeline Company depot. Following an anomaly, super petrol leaked into the sewer line that the East and Central Africa oil distributor used to drain effluents into the nearby Ngong River. The sewer line passes beneath the metal structures housing hundreds of families. 

“Fire started here,” offered Monica Karimi, a mother of four, pointing at the mouth, now precariously open, where the Kenya Pipeline sewer line empties into the Ngong River, “then it burned all these houses.” Riding on the floating fuel, the fire swam down the river, burning everything on its way. 

Official figures indicate that the Sinai incident claimed over 100 lives and over 500 were injured. Besides, the inferno roasted over 50 pigs. Rough approximation of the number of affected families from the partition markings on the dilapidated floor plans indicates 20. Karimi believes that the inferno wiped out entire families. 

That dawn, slum dwellers woke up to news of petrol flowing through the sewer.  “This was not an isolated incident,” recalls Peter Musyoka, 36, Sinai resident. According to Musyoka, diesel or petrol occasionally flew through the sewer line and residents rejoiced in scooping this commodity for sale. “In 2007, I made a kill by scooping 200 liters of diesel,” he adds. 

With this precedent, Musyoka was amongst the swarm of slum residents scrambling for the spilt fuel on the morning of September 12, 2011. Karimi owns that she was lucky to be alive. She was among those who had gotten their share of the precious commodity and had succumbed to pressure from the growing crowd. She watched the development from the comfort of her contraption, 100 meters away. 

“Then it just happened. I heard a loud explosion followed by fire. In a flash, all these houses here were engulfed, including a pigsty that sat right over there,” offered Karimi, before gesturing to show the direction in which people were running over each other, carrying flames on their clothes, bodies. Musyoka was among the lucky ones and he has scarred countenance and limps to show for it. 

“It is hard to tell whether someone lit a cigarette or that a burning stove was responsible,” Karimi asserts.

Following the accident, Kenya Pipeline Company was categorical that it would not assume responsibility. Through Mr. Selest Kilinda, the Managing Director, the oil marketer argued that the Sinai residents were to blame for the incident. KPC oversold that the slum residents were squatters in its property. Ever since, interested parties are embroiled in court battles. Life continues in Sinai. The pigsty is back. Telling from the number of sows roaming around, business has rejuvenated.  

“Has anything happened ever since?” I asked, directing the question to no one in particular. “Nothing,” offered Musyoka. And as if on cue, Karimi added that the government is apparently waiting for another accident to happen. Hence the question on what exactly they believe could prevent future accidents.  

“People here are ignorant. Imagine, we did not know that a dangerous pipe sits right beneath our houses until the day of the incident. Some people are not aware that unlike diesel, petrol is highly flammable,” offered Musyoka, in a matter of factly.  

With these insights in mind, I could not help noticing the state of vulnerability in the Sinai residence.  Zigzagging through the alleys, I kept thinking how simple gestures by stakeholders such as holding regular meetings with these residents to heighten their awareness could help save lives.