Typical Fire Hazards Quagmire in an Informal Settlement

No one chooses to live in informal settlement, at the same time not all of us can live in formal settlement. Residences of Kibra have found themselves where they are because they have no alternative.Kibra is a community of persons who live below the poverty line. The population and observed congestion cannot be assumed. The study observed that community's knowledge and awareness was fairly good, leaving room for Excellency. Fire hazards risks were mainly preventable such as from open electric wires, alcoholism or appliance overheating an indication that there was knowledge gap. Safety measures were poor whereas most respondents affirmed community and household inspections were not there. Roads were found to be congested and narrow. Overall, the prevention capabilities in the study area were low. A snap shot of Kibra indicated, this a population that lives a day and thy are not aware or rather ignorant of some impediments that are bound to befall at any time. The study, therefore, recommends programs by the local authorities to train the community on prevention measures.

Autorentext

The author is working as an Assistant Chief Health Information Officer at Kenyatta National Hospital,Kenya. She heads medico-legal unit of the Health Information Department. She holds a Master Degree in Monitoring and Evaluation.