How Kiambu’s fire academy is transforming Kenya’s disaster response, creating jobs abroad

Frequent fires in informal settlements across Nairobi, other major towns, and schools nationwide have become all too common in recent years. Many investigations have gone cold, leaving families and business owners devastated.

At the heart of minimising damage is disaster preparedness—a concern raised after nearly every major blaze. Delays in the arrival of fire engines, lack of water, and inadequate personnel are often cited as factors that worsen losses that could otherwise be contained.

A quiet but significant shift in fire preparedness is, however, underway in Kiambu County at the Fire and Rescue Training Centre, which operates in partnership with the Polish government through the Polish Centre for International Aid.

Located next to Kiambu GK Prison, the centre functions both as the county’s emergency rescue hub and a national training ground where future firefighters sharpen their lifesaving skills. Here, firefighters from across Kenya are learning modern techniques that are already improving emergency response and giving communities a better chance against destructive infernos.

Over 500 firefighters trained

Since its founding in 2014, the school has trained over 500 firefighters from 43 counties in firefighting, accident rescue, drowning recovery, collapsed buildings, and disaster response to landslides and floods.

"Approximately 500 firefighters from 43 counties have been trained in our training centre in Kiambu, including the ongoing urban search and rescue training, where 30 firefighters from Nairobi City County have been undertaking the training since June last year on an on-and-off programme," Mr Sammi Kahura, the County Chief Fire Officer, told the Eastleigh Voice on Tuesday.

The centre has earned national recognition by training firefighters for more than 40 counties. Kenya Airways, Kenya Ports Authority, and Kenyatta University have also benefited from its programmes.

Global reputation

Its reputation now extends internationally, with more than 300 graduates securing jobs abroad in the past two years, especially in Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia. This underscores its growing global profile.

Mr Kahura noted that the facility has trained 60 per cent of Kenya’s firefighters since its inception. The centre operates in partnership with the Chief Fire Officers Association of Kenya (CFOA-K), where he also serves as national chairperson.

According to him, there is no standard intake programme for the one-year boarding course. Instead, the main requirement is recognition of prior learning, which requires proof of experience in the firefighting industry.

The centre offers training in firefighting techniques, rope work, car accident rescues, and the use of specialised equipment. It also administers national qualification exams for firefighters, making the profession formally recognised.

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Management courses

It also offers fire management courses approved by the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) at levels three and four.

Counties are beginning to benchmark against Kiambu’s model. Delegations from Embu and Turkana have already visited, with Embu County sending a team in May this year.

The Kenya Technopolis Development Authority (Konza City) has also shown interest. Its chief executive officer, John Paul Okwiri, wrote to Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, requesting to learn from the facility.

"The authority is keen on implementing robust fire management solutions and emergency services to safeguard residents, assets, and investments. To this end, we request an opportunity to benchmark the facility's fire management strategies and casualty evacuation. We are particularly interested in learning from the best practices employed at Kiambu County," Okwiri said.

Pursuing international agreements

Governor Wamatangi said the county is now pursuing international agreements to expand its training programmes abroad.

"We have already gotten accolades and placements as the best fire rescue training hub between Egypt and South Africa. Over the last two years, we have trained, qualified, and deployed more than 300 young people to various countries around the world as firefighters. The youth get opportunities immediately after the training because the market has established itself out there."

He added: "We have now decided to have a conversation with those countries to have an MoU whereby we do training for them, rather than waiting for us to train, then they come and poach power personnel. We are, however, happy that we can create good, internationally recognised firefighters."

During his May visit to the centre, Dr Wojtek Wilk, chief executive officer of the Polish Centre for International Aid, said the collaboration with Kiambu aimed to transform the facility into a regional hub.

"Thanks to the opening of the training centre in Kiambu, we can increase the number of trained firefighters and the effectiveness of training. Ultimately, we want the Kiambu centre to be used by firefighters and rescuers from neighbouring countries – Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania," said Dr Wilk.

Seven active fire stations

Currently, the county operates seven active fire stations with a minimum emergency response time of 10 minutes. Plans are underway to establish more stations in Githunguri and Gatundu, while the fire engine fleet has already handled at least 300 reported fire incidents this year alone.

The expertise of Kiambu firefighters has also been deployed beyond county lines. Their specialised teams have supported high-level rescue missions in several counties struggling with undertrained staff.

In 2023 and 2024, Kiambu’s 130 firefighters and nine professional divers carried out 21 recovery missions across Nairobi, Murang’a, Kajiado, Kirinyaga, Embu, and Nyeri.

In Murang’a, they retrieved 12 bodies from rivers in Maragwa, Mathioya, and Kandara. In Kirinyaga, they recovered nine bodies from the Nyaminde and Kiringa rivers, four from the Sagana River, and one from Chinga Dam in Nyeri.

In Embu, they retrieved two students from the Rupingazi and Thusi rivers, while in Nairobi, a body was recovered from Kasarani Dam. Divers also pulled four bodies from Kemuka and Kiserian dams in Kajiado.

Just last month, the Kiambu team, working alongside the Kenya Defence Forces and Kenya Red Cross, led rescue efforts after an AMREF Kenya light aircraft crashed in Mwihoko, Githurai, killing six people.