Quickmart Buruburu branch stands where Uchumi Supermarket Buruburu used to be.
It is a welcome relief for shoppers who depended on the twin supermarkets, that is Uchumi and Tuskys on the stretch that is Buruburu shopping centre. Uchumi went belly up, Tuskys is on the same path to oblivion.
A visit to the new red, black and white supermarket, one is faced with runway lights that make one feel like a celebrity stepping out into a thousand camera lights from the paparazzi, however, danger lurks in plain sight.
A shopper who recently purchased some items at the supermarket says there’s a serious breach of fire and evacuation protocols.
Apart from the Supermarket’s congestions during peak shopping hours, there’s the problem of arrangement. Goods are arranged haphazardly, the Deli and food areas have been placed in place they shouldn’t be. In fact, to a curious observer, the Quickmart Buru doesn’t need the food areas, the space is too small to harbor all those, including an alcohol area.
The biggest danger however is the way the smoke from foods usually sets off the alarm to which people casually go about the shopping without care.
“The fire alert bell rung for about 45 seconds, when I asked the supervisor what was happening, he just shrugged his shoulders while mumbling ‘hiyo inakuanga hivyo juu ya moshi’. This shocked me”, said the shopper.
The Nairobi County Government should move with speed to rectify this time bomb, as for now, avoid this dingy supermarket till the congestion and fire and evacuation protocols are updated.
