Kenya's shopping mall fires

In developing countries like Kenya, Shopping malls are slowly but steadily replacing the old seasoned and traditional supermarkets. One would easily argue that “should Uchumi goes under again; there would be so many options”. This fact is supported by the many upcoming shopping malls in the Nairobi’s suburb with some already up and running.  A road trip along thika road from the CBD through thika and along thika garissa road, will give a clear picture of the structures that a deemed to be shoppers delight in years to come.  While driving along the road, you will meet Garden City shopping complex though under construction but from a distant view, will be one spot that will ravel shoppers. Then there is the Thika road mall, poised at the moment as the largest shopping mall in east Africa having more than 100 shops, designer landmarks and landmark stores.  Sky rocketing building at Githurai shopping centre and as  you approach Kahawa opposite the Kahawa barracks are evidence of shopping malls target for the upsurge in population along Nairobi’s suburb. Others along this road include KU’s Unicity, Juja Mall in Juja and Makongeni mall in Thika. Some of these super malls are still under construction and once complete will definitely be a game changer in how the fire industry handles fire risks in enclosed shopping centers.

  

Unfortunately, in Africa, the most eminent fire risk disasters involving shopping malls have occurred in Kenya. In 2009, Nakumatt supermarket, having a chain of 18 stores and employing 3, 200 people across the country burnt down killing 29 people while 47 were reported missing. The local newspapers reported preliminary investigation that security guards had locked exit doors in an effort to prevent looting. The fire allegedly started near the only staircase accessible to the public, trapping the victims in the shop. According to International News Agencies, the emergency services were criticized for what was viewed as inadequate response to the blaze. In another incident, terrorist attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi’s westlands area. The fire that gutted the mall caused more damage to the property than anticipated and from the various reports there was no clear model for coordination on fire risk management among the stakeholders involved. Although terrorism is an exceptional occurrence, it showed what damage a major fire can cause.

Advanced planning and preparedness is the key to preventing and or at least reducing the fire risks. Evaluating the current state of planning and preparedness and eventually developing a model is a good step towards a better fire service delivery. It is important to get all the stakeholders involved in fire risk management as this will help in meeting the obligation to reduce fire risks inside the tenancy. Majority of shopping malls in Kenya are privately owned and have employed various standards in risk controls which includes fire. But many smaller shopping malls do not employ full time fire staff at the mall but instead this is left to the individual tenants to control the fire risk and they in turn outsource the fire prevention systems by engaging specialized fire service providers.

The writer is an independent PhD Candidate.