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Citizen Weekly

Wednesday 10 December 2014

SONKO CONSOLES KIBERA FIRE VICTIMS



Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko on Wednesday visited Kibera slums where five people were burned to death in a fire incident in Kibera slums, Nairobi.

Three others are in critical condition at the Kenyatta National Hospital after the tragedy that started from one of the houses. Police say the fire started at about 10pm burning over 100 houses. The incident left hundreds homeless.

While responding to the calls by the affected family, Sonko visited  Toi and Laine Saba areas and condoled the bereaved and donated items for the victims who were left homeless while others lost everything in the inferno.

Sonko gave a personal donation of Sh1m and another Sh1m from H.E Uhuru Kenyatta. Sonko also made a personal donation of 500 blankets, , water buckets, 500 basins and sanitary towels  all valued at Sh500,000 to the affected families.

While receiving the donations, Kibera residents thanked President Uhuru and Senator Sonko for coming to their aid at the hour of great need.  Kibera and many Nairobi slums have been experiencing series of fire outbreaks and with the on-going slum upgrading projects in Kibera championed by Jubilee administration, fire outbreaks will be a thing in the past.

This is not however the first time Sonko is helping victims in his Nairobi County. He is known to run an emergency rescue team known as Team Sonko which operates almost parallel to the Kenya Red Cross.  Team Sonko is known to have been the first to arrive at the scene of fire and offers emergency services to victims.

Apart from helping fire victims, Sonko has been in the forefront helping the needy and the sick and during such visits, he donates fresh fruits, toiletries, pampers, blankets, ward heaters, slippers, snacks, milk, among other foodstuffs.

He is also known to have heavily funded youth and women groups to start income generating activities. Churches have also never been left behind and bright children from poor families have always and continue to benefit from his personal bursary which he runs from his salary and income from his personal businesses.

But it was Sonko’s move to adopt baby Satrin Osinya and his brother Gift Satrin after they were discharged from hospital after a success operation to remove a bullet lodged in his head. Baby Osinya was injured in the March 23 Likoni church attack.

In May 2013, Sonko bailed out some mothers who delivered in Pumwani and Lucy Kibaki hospitals who had been detained for being unable to settle the bills amounting to over Sh1m.

The mothers drawn from parts of the country were happy after the Senator paid a visit to the hospitals freeing them from the confinement they faced due to failure to clear their hospital bills.

Besides paying for the bills of the patients, Sonko paid the enrollment fee for them and three months subscriptions in order to help them foot their future hospital bills.
Youths from across the county of Nairobi have also benefited from donations of car wash machines, water tanks and garbage collection materials to make them self dependent.

With 2017 politics shaping up, pressure has been mounting on Sonko from his supporters that having served the people of Nairobi as Makadara Mp then to Senator, they now say he should now consider running for the Nairobi gubernatorial race in 2017.

Unfortunately, Sonko has always ignored such calls and told his supporters that he should be left to serve the people of Nairobi in his capacity as Senator until end of his term and when the rights time comes, voters will decide which seat they would wish him to contest.



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