Residents fault delayed response as fire engulfs Rongai apartments

NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 27 – Residents of Ongata Rongai in Kajiado County have raised concerns over emergency preparedness after a fire broke out at a five-storey apartment building behind Maasai Mall on Tuesday morning.

The fire at Mbagathi Greens Estate started in the early hours, with flames still visible at about 8.30am as residents watched the building burn and questioned the time taken to mobilise firefighting services.

Videos shared on social media platform X showed flames spreading through sections of the apartment block, prompting fears of extensive property damage.

Residents expressed frustration over what they perceived as a slow response, with one person recording the incident from a neighbouring high-rise questioning whether emergency teams would arrive before the building was extensively damaged.

The cause of the fire remained unknown by the time of publication, while the extent of the damage had yet to be established. No deaths or injuries had been reported so far.

Ongata Rongai, located about 17 kilometres south of Nairobi’s central business district, has undergone rapid urbanisation, with residential apartments increasingly replacing low-rise developments.

The growth has put pressure on public infrastructure and essential services, including emergency response systems. Residents have questioned whether firefighting resources and facilities are sufficient to serve the expanding population.

The absence of a local firefighting station means Ongata Rongai depends on fire services dispatched from elsewhere, including Nairobi, potentially affecting response times depending on the availability of engines and the distance to the scene.