Tragedy in Sinai

A week ago, fire and disaster swept the Sinai slum. Over 100 were reported dead. Here at the Dignitas office, everyone was on their phones calling loved ones and friends. First, we heard that there was a bad fire in the industrial area. Then more specifically, the slum of Lunga Lunga. Finally, word came through social networks news outlets that the fire was in Sinai.

An oil spill had entered through the sewers of Sinai. This fuel came through leaky pipelines run by the Kenya Pipeline Company. As happened two years ago in February 2009 during a tragic oil tanker fire, those in the surrounding area came to collect free fuel. While the exact cause of the fire has not yet been identified, there has been speculation that the fire was caused either by a cigarette or by garbage fires that are commonly burned in the city.

Regardless, the very fact that this oil spill occurred in a slum already placed Sinai at greater risk. Fires in slums are very common, given the number of open fires, the proximity of homes, and the fact that homes are easily flammable. Given how densely packed slums tend to be and the general lack of opportunity for jobs, it’s unsurprising that so many people came to collect fuel for the opportunity to sell later on.

To me, the real tragedy of this situation is that there are so many factors that could have been avoided. With better pipeline maintenance and infrastructure, the oil leakage would not have occurred. With more economic opportunity for residents, perhaps there would have been less of a rush for free fuel. Better housing would have prevented homes from being placed right next to sewers, therefore decreasing the number of casualties.

And of course, perhaps saddest are the young lives that were taken in this fire. For there is not only a lack of economic opportunity in slums, but also a lack of educational opportunity. The fire occurred during school hours, but there were many children in the area, not in school at the time, who perished.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from Sinai. For me the question is, “What can we do to keep this from happening again?” This is why it is important to work with the community to create better opportunity and access. If there’s anything that Sinai showed us, it’s the injustice and inequality that can exist, and that we need to do something to change it.