Some of the youth from Viwandani during a firefighting drill at Morendat Institute of Oil and Gas (MIOG) in EldoretThe Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) Foundation has invested more than Sh900 million on 398 transformative community projects across all counties, directly impacting more than 60,000 beneficiaries.
KPC Foundation director Gloria Khafafa said the initiatives focus on dealing with issues that matter most to communities, including education, youth empowerment, healthcare, water and sanitation, environmental conservation, and community resilience.
“At the heart of everything we do is a simple but powerful belief: We do not simply fund projects. We invest in people,” she said.
The foundation is now implementing a community resilience initiative aimed at equipping residents of informal settlements with lifesaving firefighting skills and strengthening emergency preparedness.
To this end, KPC in partnership with the Morendat Institute of Oil and Gas (MIOG) hosted a graduation ceremony of the first batch of 20 Mukuru Viwandani residents in Nairobi who have successfully completed Advanced Firefighting Levels I & II training in Eldoret.
Officials said the initiative provides community-led solutions to recurring fire incidents in the informal settlements.
Speaking during the graduation, Khafafa said their partnership with MIOG was aimed at building community resilience and enhancing employability through professional firefighting training for beneficiaries.
“We are here to witness and celebrate the graduation of 20 men and women who have chosen to become protectors of their communities. They have stepped forward and made a commitment to stand between disaster and hope, between loss and recovery, between vulnerability and resilience,” she said.
Frequent fires have been a major challenge for the community.
“In many informal settlements, a fire does not merely destroy structures. It destroys dreams. It wipes out businesses built over years of sacrifice and hard work. It leaves families displaced and uncertain about the future."
Khafafa said the challenge is often worsened by circumstances like narrow access roads and congested settlements, which make it difficult for emergency responders to reach affected areas.
Khafafa noted that by the time help arrives, lives and livelihoods may already have been destroyed.
She said the graduation marked an important milestone of the partnership with the Mukuru Viwandani Community. KPC began the programme by training 165 community members last month on basic firefighting skills in Nairobi, followed by the advanced training in Level I and II firefighting training for the 20 firemen and women who graduated at MIOG in Eldoret.
“This training allows them to deal with all classes of fires and to use related equipment. They have also received certification that allows them to be employed as firefighters in the country and beyond,” she said.
MIOG director Nancy Kosgey said the training was heavily rooted in Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET), focusing on acquiring practical, hands-on skills rather than just theory.
“This kind of training equips the persons with skills that are very helpful to the community in terms of supporting emergencies such as fires recently witnessed in schools and other community facilities,” she said.
