Police are allegedly responsible for a huge fire that has broken out in Mathare slums, with area residents and one fire truck currently struggling to put out the inferno and salvage their property.
Two schools and several houses in the sprawling slum have reportedly been burnt down by the fire.
According to sources, the two private schools which been burnt down are Maji Mazuri Primary School and Abundant Life School.
One twitter user was quoted saying,
“After forcing people to drink bleach and destroying peoples livelihoods, killer cop Rashid was beaten by Mathare residents. He escaped and came back with the full force of the police to revenge, using bullets, teargas, and fire. He is a known serial killer.”
The fire started after angry youths took to the street to demonstrate against police crackdown on illicit brew (chang’aa) in the area.
The youth barricaded roads in the area using burnt tyres before the police stepped in to disperse them with tear gas.
“When the police were trying to put off the fire, one officer accidentally threw a burning trye at a nearby house which immediately caught fire,” one eye witness said.
Medics from Medical Frontiers are on the ground to attend to residents who have sustained injuries.