Burnt Sh40m county fire engine was not authorised to respond to Salgaa protests

SALGAA, KENYA: The Sh40million fire engine belonging to Nakuru county government which was burnt by protestors at Salgaa center had not been authorised to respond to the skirmishes.

County Secretary Joseph Motari on Wednesday said action would be taken against the driver of the fire engine for moving the vehicle without authority.

Motari said he had summoned the driver to explain on whose authority he drove the fire engine without following regulations and which has cost the county huge loss.

"I have summoned the driver of the truck to explain why he failed to follow regulations when responding to the distress call. It is always a requirement that the driver must have his work ticket signed and the incident recorded in the police occurrence book before embarking on the mission," he said.

Motari said the Salgaa residents have differed with the Government over the intended relocation of the parking bay for long distance trucks which led to Tuesday's protests.
He said the county has allocated money for rehabilitation of drainage in the area in the 2015-2016 financial year.
In 2009, Salgaa residents differed with the Government over the intended relocation of the parking bay for long distance trucks.
They told the then Roads Minister Franklin Bett that the relocation of the Sh50 million parking bay from the trading centre to another location would adversely affect their businesses.
The project was to be relocated a few kilometers away from the trading center on a 12 hectare parcel of land that belonged to a private developer.

Meanwhile the county government has received two new fire-engines from the World Bank to boost its fire-fighting capabilities.

Motari said the two engines were God send because they arrived just on the evening after the incident at Salgaa.

"Last evening we received two fire engines from World Bank to boost our fire-fighting capabilities," he said.