A family in Kitengela, Isinya sub-County, is mourning the loss of their son, Benjamin Kioko Nduda, 23, who died in a tower fire in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last Sunday.
According to a report released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, at least two Kenyans died in a fire that broke out on Sunday morning at a residential building in Sharjah, UAE.
The statement by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr Korir Sing'oei indicated that the 44th floor of the 52-story high-rise building had caught fire, without disclosing further details or the identities of the victims.
According to police sources, at least five people had perished in the incident, including a Cameroonian and two Kenyans, while two others were yet to be identified.
On Thursday, Nation.Africa managed to trace one of the bereaved Kenyan families to their home in Kitengela.
The Late Benjamin Kioko Muli photos.
Photo credit: Photo/ Pool
By noon, a sombre mood had enveloped the home, tucked away in the outskirts of the populous town.
We found Mr Anthony Muli, 50, Benjamin’s father, seated in a tent pitched outside his house with several male relatives and friends.
He sat pensively, perhaps reminiscing about his last moments with his son, who had left the country just last year.
Mr Muli told Nation that his firstborn son, born and raised in Kitengela, left the country in February 2024 for the UAE through an agent, after completing a mechanical engineering course at the National Industrial Training Authority in Athi River.
He explained that his son encountered challenges with his travel visa within the first month of his arrival in the UAE, which forced him out of work.
The father said his son had to apply for an alien visa to enable him to take on casual jobs for survival until his death last Sunday.
The agent who had recruited Kioko promised him artisan jobs but reportedly abandoned him to fend for himself.
“Since November last year, he had managed to sustain himself in a foreign land. He was doing casual jobs on a contract basis,” he said.
However, Sunday, April 13, 2025, remains a dark day for the family, when they received news of their son's death from one of his friends in the UAE.
“We were at home when a friend of our son called us from the UAE. She shared video clips of our son and two of his Kenyan roommates falling to their deaths from the 44th floor of the high-rise building that had caught fire,” said Mr Muli.
He added: “From the friend, our son was the last one to attempt descending using a rope that had been fitted by people doing renovations on the building. He let go of the rope and fell to his death. He had been making distress calls for more than two hours. We later noticed he had tried to reach out to his mother on WhatsApp in that moment of need, but her phone was offline.”
The dejected father said the family is in the dark, with no official communication from either UAE or Kenyan authorities.
“We have lost our son and beacon of hope. Apart from our efforts to reach the Kenyan Ambassador in the UAE on Tuesday—who referred us to a labour officer—nothing is forthcoming. Our hearts are bleeding, and the authorities are silent. We are on our own. We are pleading for state intervention,” he added.
Ms Evalyn Nzilani, the mother, said she had lost a friend and prayer partner who had great plans for his life and for the family.
“It’s unfortunate I missed the last call from my best friend, my prayer warrior, with whom we had great plans as a family. When he was leaving for the UAE, he urged his siblings to take care of me… that’s how close we were,” she told Nation.Africa amid sobs.
A neighbour, Mr Sam Kamau, urged the Kenyan government to act quickly to ensure the welfare of its citizens abroad.
A relative, Mr Stanley Kyalo, echoed the same sentiments.
“We see laxity in the UAE authorities, where a young man who couldn’t get opportunities in his own country died while crying for help for hours in a burning building. It’s unfortunate that he will come home in a coffin,” said Mr Kamau.
According to the family, mourners have been visiting their home since last Sunday to offer condolences, but funeral arrangements have yet to begin. They wish to lay their son to rest in their rural home in Kitui East—but they don’t know when, as his body remains in a morgue in the UAE. He was not married.
