Shame of stalled Sh150m Tana River fire engines, six years on
A fire engine parked at the offices of the Department of Public Works in Hola, Tana River County, in this picture taken on April 10, 2025.
In the small town of Hola and its surrounding markets in Tana River County, a sinister pattern is emerging—a dance of flames met with hollow promises and charred remains.
Six years ago, with grand proclamations and more than Sh150 million from the public coffers, the county unveiled three fire engines – symbols of safety and rapid response. But to date, the trucks have not successfully put out a single fire.
Instead, residents say the engines always arrive too late, often when properties have been reduced to ashes. In some cases, they never arrive at all.
On Saturday morning, employees of Mr Moses Waihumbu, a small business owner in Hola Town, watched helplessly as fire gutted his food kiosk.
Moses Waihumbu's food kiosk, seen here, was reduced to ashes by a fire in Hola town, Tana River County.
“We called the fire department immediately,” he said. “But they came after three hours. Everything was already gone.”
He estimates that he lost property worth more than Sh300,000. Several neighbouring shops were also affected.
“It’s not the fire that kills us. It’s the waiting,” another shop owner said.
This is not an isolated case. In January, a fire swept through Bura Market at night, burning down several shops. Residents say they called the county’s emergency toll-free line multiple times, but no one answered.
In other parts of the county—from Garsen to Wenje—similar stories are told. Fires burn freely, while the fire trucks arrive late or not at all.
Pressure groups and residents are now questioning the value of the multimillion-shilling investment.
“We were told these fire engines would protect us,” said Mr James Rashid, Secretary General of the Civil Society Organizations Network.
“Instead, they have become a symbol of betrayal.”
Insiders reveal that the fire engines are sometimes grounded for lack of fuel. In other cases, they cannot respond to emergencies without orders from senior officials.
“It’s like we need permission to save lives,” said a source familiar with the county's disaster response unit.
According to Mr Rashid, the county has also been collecting revenue from traders, promising to supply fire extinguishers to businesses.
“But not even one has been delivered,” he said.
“This looks like a deliberate plan to frustrate traders.”
His organisation has threatened to petition the County Assembly to force the executive to compensate all business owners who have suffered losses as a result of the fire.
As more businesses count their losses and families struggle to rebuild, residents are demanding answers.
“We are tired of empty promises,” said Mr Waihumbu. “All we ask is for the county to show up when we need them most.”
Jeffa Jilo, the county chief fireman, blames the slow response to recent fires in Tana River on a persistent communication breakdown between the fire service and residents.
“Most times, residents try to put out the fire by themselves first. They only call us when the situation gets out of hand,” said Jilo. “By then, the damage is already extensive, and we’re left trying to salvage whatever little we can.”
Jilo also pointed a finger at business owners, accusing them of negligence and failure to adhere to basic fire safety regulations. According to him, county laws require all business premises to be equipped with functional fire extinguishers—a mandate that many have blatantly ignored.
“Only a handful of business premises have complied. The rest are gambling with people’s lives and property,” he said.
In response, Jilo revealed that the Department of Public Works has launched a county-wide awareness campaign targeting both business owners and residents.
The campaign aims to provide the public with knowledge on how to respond to fire emergencies and the importance of early communication with emergency responders.
“We are now moving from awareness to enforcement,” he warned. “Soon, we’ll be conducting inspections to ensure that every premise, whether business or residential, complies with fire safety regulations.”
Jilo emphasised that such measures are not meant to punish, but to protect lives and livelihoods.
“Fire safety is everyone’s responsibility,” he concluded. “We can no longer afford to be reactive. Prevention must be our priority.”
For now, Tana River’s fire engines remain a painful reminder of broken systems and forgotten citizens—shiny machines parked in silence while flames continue to rage.
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