Residents count losses in Kisenyi fire

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Residents of Kisenyi in Kampala are counting losses after fire gutted several houses in Kakajjo zone.

The fire which broke out on Tuesday is suspected to have been caused by an abandoned charcoal stove. It spread to a timber workshop, shops, and several houses, destroying property such as mattresses, fridges, television sets among other items.

According to Godfrey Kakande, the LCI chairperson Kakajjo zone, this was the third time fire has destroyed property in their area.

Martin Malinga, a resident says that 700,000 Shillings he had borrowed from the SACCO for school fees was burnt.

Anabelle Lulu who sells local brew says that she lost 300,000 Shillings that she had kept in the shop. She says that she tried to save her property in vain.

John Lokwi who lost beds says that the fire brigade police could hardly get to the scene due to poor and narrow roads, leaving the affected residents with no choice but to put out the fire in the possible ways they could.

Joseph Yiga says that he lost his entire stock worth 7 Million Shillings in the fire. He says that by the time he rushed to his shop, it was too late to save anything.

Another resident who owns a drinking joint in the area says that she lost more than 3 million shillings and all her stock in the fire. Her house which also doubled as a grocery was reduced to ash.

On Wednesday, the residents had started reconstructing their stalls and kiosks that were gutted by fire.

When our reporter visited the area, it had been graded and traders were busy trying to locate the space where their stalls stood before the fire. Some vendors had started demarcating space to reconstruct their stalls, while others had started reconstruction.

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