Imenti North Member of Parliament Rahim Dawood has raised serious concerns following a fire incident at Meru Main and Women Prison that gutted six houses belonging to prison warders last night, leaving the families displaced and their belongings destroyed.
Speaking at Meru Main and Women Prison, Rahim said that the fire, which broke out in the staff quarters, is reported to have been caused by a suspected electrical fault.
He regretted that although the fire department was alerted, the fire engine did not arrive in time to contain the blaze, leaving officers helpless as their houses and personal belongings were consumed.
“ We have been told that there was an electric fault that is said to have caused the fire. The fire engine was called but still the fire consumed everything and up to now, the fire engine is yet to come,” said Rahim.
Although nobody was injured in the fire, Rahim said the impact on the families was severe.
He noted that one female warden lost all her household belongings, forcing her children to miss school today.
Rahim criticized the Meru County Government for what he described as an inadequate response, questioning how emergencies would be handled if a similar fire occurred in Meru town.
He said that after the incident, no sufficient explanation was given, with some blaming lack of fuel and others citing mechanical problems with the fire engine.
The MP warned that such failures exposed both the wardens and inmates to unnecessary risk.
The lawmaker urged the county to strengthen its emergency response capacity and procure additional fire engines.
He recalled that during his time as a councillor, Meru town had four functioning fire engines, but successive administrations reportedly redistributed them, leaving the county ill-prepared for emergencies.
“The most important development that Meru county government should have in place is the fire engine and that’s why they need to procure them.
When I was a councillor, we had four fire engines but successively the number was reduced for those based in Meru town since different governors have taken the fire engines to other towns,” said Rahim
Rahim stressed that investing in fire engines and emergency services is not optional but essential for protecting lives and property.
He said replacing destroyed property is far more expensive than preventing the loss in the first place.
“ The county government of Meru must tell us what happens in the situation that fire starts out in Meru town. Will we really be able to save the town if the fire engine was unable to arrive here the entire of last night. Those are hard questions we need answered,” said Rahim.
He added that while the fire did not result in injuries, the emotional and financial toll on the affected families is huge.
He urged the county to ensure fire engines are always functional, properly serviced and adequately fueled.
The MP said emergency response planning should be treated as a core development priority rather than an afterthought.
