Mombasa Senator flags poor state of fire stations after weekend inferno
The Senator, who had previously detailed these issues in his oversight report, reignited the conversation following a weekend fire at the Mombasa Water Supply and Sanitation Company (MOWASSCO) offices.
Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki has expressed concern over the state of fire stations in the county, citing serious infrastructure and equipment deficiencies that continue to hamper emergency response efforts.
The Senator, who had previously detailed these issues in his oversight report, reignited the conversation following a weekend fire at the Mombasa Water Supply and Sanitation Company (MOWASSCO) offices.
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"The MOWASSCO fire incident has laid bare the challenges facing the Mombasa County Fire Department. As highlighted in our Oversight Report, these issues must be urgently addressed otherwise, we are living on borrowed time," Mohamed stated.
The Oversight Report, anchored in Article 96 of the Constitution, aims to promote transparency, accountability, and public participation in Mombasa County’s development initiatives over the 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 financial years.
The report revealed several pressing issues across various sectors. These included poor service delivery in the health sector due to staff shortages and a lack of equipment, stalled construction of Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres, delayed or incomplete market and social hall projects, and significantly underperforming fire services.
In relation to the fire department, Mohamed noted that fire stations across Mombasa continue to operate in inadequate infrastructure, including old and unsafe buildings that lack sufficient space to accommodate emergency response teams and their equipment.
Shortages
He further stated that a continued shortage of essential firefighting gear, such as fire engines, hoses, and personal protective equipment (PPE), has severely affected the department’s capacity to respond swiftly and safely during emergencies.
Mohamed also highlighted the absence of fully furnished control rooms in all fire stations, pointing out that this gap has greatly hindered the coordination of emergency responses and delayed firefighting efforts.
He also highlighted the issue of staffing shortages, noting that even the few available firefighters often operate without proper protective gear, which compromises both their safety and morale.
However, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir lauded the county’s emergency response to the MOWASSCO blaze.
He confirmed that the fire broke out at the utility company’s offices in Mombasa’s Central Business District, but was swiftly contained through coordinated efforts.
“Thanks to the swift response from the County Emergency Teams, backed by crucial support from the Kenya Navy and Kenya Ports Authority, the fire has been fully contained,” Governor Abdulswamad said.
“Three county fire engines were on site and effectively supported by our national partners to preserve life and property.”
According to the county boss, senior government officials, including County Secretary Jeizan Faruk, Chief Officers Swaleh Mwalizuma, Eng Ali Abdulrahman, Eng Albert Keno, and MOWASSCO Managing Director Farah Abdirahim, were on the ground supervising the response.
Operations at the scene were led by Incident Commanders Ibrahim Basafar and Central OCPD Maxwell Agoro.
The governor confirmed that there were no casualties and assured residents that service continuity would not be affected. “All critical data is securely backed up on cloud-based systems, and this unfortunate incident will not disrupt the delivery of services,” he stated.
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