Two dead, several injured including firefighters, as devastating fire engulfs Nairobi’s Gikomba Market

Two people are dead and several injured, including firefighters, after an early morning blaze destroyed parts of Nairobi’s Gikomba Market on June 19, 2026. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif)

By Rachael Mutabasi
Sunday, June 21, 2026

The early morning blaze swept through Nairobi’s Gikomba Market, killing two people, injuring several others including firefighters, and destroying large sections of the trading hub as investigations into the cause continue.

Two people have died and several others injured, including four firefighters, after a fire tore through Nairobi’s Gikomba Market in the early hours of Sunday morning in yet another devastating blaze at one of the city’s largest trading hubs.

The fire is reported to have broken out around 4 am, according to the Kenya Red Cross, before rapidly spreading through tightly packed stalls and commercial structures within the sprawling market.

Firefighters and multi-agency response teams were deployed to the scene in an effort to contain the inferno and stop it from spreading to nearby residential and trading areas.

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UPDATE: After nearly 10 hours of response efforts, the fire at Gikomba Market, has been contained.
Kenya Red Cross first responders attended to 17 casualties with minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and burns, at a first aid post established at the Gikomba Fire Station. https://t.co/eBkVBePWu2 pic.twitter.com/79jnWg53dQ

— Kenya Red Cross (@KenyaRedCross) June 21, 2026

Traders later returned to the scene to find large sections of their businesses reduced to ashes. Merchandise worth millions of shillings is believed to have been destroyed, leaving hundreds of small-scale traders facing heavy losses.

By mid-morning, burnt stalls, twisted metal sheets and piles of debris covered large parts of the market, including areas such as Gorofani, Bondeni, Kwa Mandizi, Kwa Ma Bags, Kwa Kuku, Kwa Uniforms, Kwa Ma Shirts na Jeans, Kwa Mbao Section, Kwa Fish Section and the Daraja Area.

The blaze comes amid ongoing county government efforts to redevelop the market through a multi-billion-shilling modernisation project.