About 60% of the population in Kibera have access to illegal electricity tapped inside their homes. Although the government has installed legal electricity in the slums, the majority of the dwellers still prefer the cheaper option of the illegally connected ones, mostly supplied by cartels based all over the slum. This is the major cause of slum fires in
Kibera. In Kibera, fire outbreaks are a sign of gloom and devastation, loss of properties and to the most extreme cases, a lot of people have lost their families and loved ones. In July of 2014, I documented my first fire outbreak in the slum, watching vulnerably as a huge fire swept down an entire residential estate despite the numerous efforts by residents to put it off.
As someone born and raised in the slum, I feel the need to share the stories of my people, their struggles and what’s left for them as they battle with the frequent fire eruptions. The slum is at high risk, and at any time there can be a fire outbreak, that’s my motivation to share these stories with the world.