Twelve children were safely evacuated following a fire at the Jomo Kenyatta Home for the Physically Disabled in Embu, where property worth millions of shillings was destroyed. Reports indicate that the fire affected a dormitory and a kitchen at the institution, which has been providing care to children with disabilities since its establishment in 1965 in Kirimari Ward, Manyatta Constituency, Embu.
Local authorities and police have emphasized the urgent need for a proper fire department in the county, stating that quicker containment could have been possible with such infrastructure. They noted that assistance had to be sought from neighboring Tharaka Nithi to manage the fire. This incident underscores ongoing concerns about the lack of a functional fire department, despite previous calls for improvement following earlier dismissals of officials over performance issues by Governor Cecily Mbarire earlier this year.