2011 Nairobi Pipeline Fire
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The 2011 Nairobi pipeline fire was caused by an
explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...
secondary to a fuel spill in the
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
n capital
Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
on 12 September 2011. Approximately 100 people were killed in the fire and at least 116 others were hospitalized with varying degrees of
burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...
s. The incident was not the first such
pipeline A pipeline is a system of Pipe (fluid conveyance), pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries ...
accident in Kenya, with the
Molo fire This is a list of notable tank truck fires and explosions. 1960s Toledo, Ohio, United States (1961) On 10 June 1961 a Standard Oil tank truck carrying 7,900 gallons of gasoline traveling through Toledo, Ohio rolled over and the ...
of 2009 resulting in at least 133 fatalities and hundreds more injured.


Causes

A fuel tank, located in the industrial Lunga Lunga area of Nairobi and part of a pipeline system operated by the state owned Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), had sprung a leak. People in the adjacent densely populated
shanty town A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from cheap building materials such as corrugated iron s ...
of Sinai had started to collect leaking fuel when at about 10 a.m. a massive explosion occurred at the scene. Fire spread to the Sinai area. The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined but some reports indicate that the fire might have started from a discarded cigarette or when the wind changed, bringing embers from nearby garbage fires. Energy Minister
Kiraitu Murungi Kiraitu Murungi (born 1 January 1952) is a Kenyan politician, lawyer, and civil rights advocate. He is the Chairman of the National Oil Corporation of Kenya. He has previously held roles including Governor of Meru County, Senator for Meru, a ...
is reported as saying that the disaster began when a pipeline valve failed under pressure allowing the oil to leak into the sewer. Selest Kilinda, the managing director of KPC, is reported to have said the spill occurred from two pipelines, and that engineers had already depressurised the Sinai pipeline but not in time to prevent fuel leaking into the sewer.


Casualties

Early police estimates have the number of fatalities to be above one hundred; in addition, at least 116 other people were hospitalized with burn injuries. The exact death toll remains uncertain due to some bodies being badly charred or lost in the murky waters of a nearby river. Kenya's
Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
Disaster Risk Reduction Officer said that the Red Cross would counsel the victims and also would attempt to reconcile the casualty figures with those reported missing. He also reported that most bodies taken to the mortuary were burnt beyond recognition and would require
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
tests to confirm their identities. In November 2011, The Kenya Pipeline Company funded the delivery to the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation a computer and software system to facilitate forensic DNA identification of victims. The system, called M-FISys (pronounced like "emphasis," an acronym for the Mass-Fatality Identification System), was developed to identify victims of the
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of
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. City hospitals were hard pressed by the surge of the need for care provisions, food and a strained medicare staff complement. The
Kenyatta National Hospital The Kenyatta National Hospital is the oldest hospital in Nairobi, Kenya which was established In 1901 as the Native Civil Hospital but later changed in 1963 to Kenyatta National Hospital. It is a public, tertiary, referral hospital for the Mi ...
has only 22 burn unit beds and considers any more than 60 casualties as a 'disaster', requiring them to put disaster plans into action. At least 112 people were admitted with burns, many critical or severe. The long-term treatment required for burns patients means that extra tents have been erected for blood donations. The nearer Mater Hospital admitted three casualties with less than 30% burns into the normal ward and one other casualty with 80–90% burns into the intensive care unit.


Responsibility

Neither the managing director of the KPC, which operates the pipeline, nor the energy minister Kiraitu Murungi have given any indication of accepting responsibility. Kiraitu Murungi initially said that the KPC would compensate the victims, but later the KPC stated it would not do so as it was "not responsible". In 2008 the KPC had issued an eviction order to nearby residents, but they refused to leave. In response to protests by students, an inter-ministerial committee was tasked with gathering names to arrange relocation when funds became available. KPC sent representatives to inform the residents of the danger and to make sure holes were not dug.


Political impact

Prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Raila Odinga Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was the Member of Parliament (Kenya), Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013 and has ...
and
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Kalonzo Musyoka Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka (born 24 December 1953) is a Kenyan politician who was the tenth Vice-President of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. Musyoka served in the government under the late President Daniel arap Moi as the Secretary of Kenya African Nat ...
have visited the scene and various hospitals to console injured victims and to condole bereaved families.
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Mwai Kibaki Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013. He served in various leadership positions in Kenya's government including ...
visited the main
Kenyatta National Hospital The Kenyatta National Hospital is the oldest hospital in Nairobi, Kenya which was established In 1901 as the Native Civil Hospital but later changed in 1963 to Kenyatta National Hospital. It is a public, tertiary, referral hospital for the Mi ...
to empathize with the injured. The
secretary-general of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
,
Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...
, expressed sorrow and sympathy for the victims, wishing a full and speedy recovery to the survivors, while the
United States ambassador to Kenya United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
,
Scott Gration Jonathan Scott Gration (born 1951) is a former United States Air Force officer who worked as a policy advisor to President Barack Obama. Born in Illinois, Gration then grew up in Central and East Africa with his missionary parents. He studied at ...
, lauded the rescue workers and the personal heroism of the locals.
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
-Kenya said that the failure to relocate people puts the majority of the blame on government officials.


Enforcement after the event

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) said it will act against the KPC for failing to enforce EMCA 1999—and suggests that if the required spill containment measures were in place at the facility the oil would not have run off into the drains. NEMA dismissed KPC claims that they had acted sufficiently, saying they had not received the Environmental audit that is obligatory under the 2003 Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Audit Regulations. The slum has been in that place for approximately 20 years despite the requirement for KPC to keep those areas clear of settlement. NEMA said it would also require KPC to deal with the pollution in the environment, particularly regarding the flora and fauna along the
Ngong River The Nairobi River is a river that flows across Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. It is the main river of the Nairobi River Basin, with several parallel streams flowing eastward. All of the Nairobi basin rivers join east of Nairobi and meet the A ...
into which the storm drain flows.


Warnings before the event

In 2009 journalist John Ngirachu wrote for the local newspaper ''
Daily Nation The ''Daily Nation'' is a Kenyan newspaper. It was founded in 1958 and is published in Nairobi. History The ''Daily Nation'' was started in the year 1958 as a Swahili weekly called ''Taifa'' by the Englishman Charles Hayes. It was bought in 1 ...
'' and reported that the slums in Sinai being located so near to the pipeline were a disaster waiting to happen. The permanent secretary to the Ministry of Energy, Patrick Nyoike, had asked the KPC to refurbish the pipelines but it was reported that the Ministry of Finance declined.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nairobi pipeline fire 2010s fires in Africa 2011 fires Fires in Kenya 2010s in Nairobi Pipeline accidents Deaths caused by petroleum looting Industrial fires and explosions 2011 industrial disasters September 2011 in Africa 2011 disasters in Kenya