Dar es Salaam — A devastating fire swept through the popular Simu 2000 market in the Ubungo District of Dar es Salaam on the evening of April 4, 2026, destroying more than 500 small traders’ stalls and leaving hundreds without their livelihoods.
The blaze, which started around 5:00 p.m., consumed the wooden structures that housed various businesses, though approximately 280 stalls and six sheds used by fruit and food vendors were spared.
While no casualties have been reported, the financial toll on the traders is immense, with many having lost their entire stock and capital.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and authorities have launched an investigation. The Commander of the Fire and Rescue Force, Joseph Chacha, stated that the rapid spread of the flames was exacerbated by the wooden materials used in the construction of the stalls and the lack of adequate firebreaks between them.
“The nature of the materials made it very easy for the fire to spread from one place to another,” the Commander said, urging traders to use safer building materials and ensure proper spacing in future constructions.
Ubungo District Commissioner Albert Msando, who visited the scene, acknowledged the significant losses suffered by the traders and assured them of the government’s support.
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He called for calm and requested that unauthorised individuals vacate the area to allow security forces to secure the remaining property and complete their work.
“The loss incurred is not small,” Msando said. “We are looking into how we can return them to a normal state of doing business after suffering this loss. It is too early to discuss specific plans because we must first ensure the area is completely safe.”
A crushing blow
For the affected traders, the disaster is a crushing blow. Many rely on loans to sustain their businesses and are now facing financial ruin. Rose Kimati, a trader who sold cosmetics and hair products, lost everything in the fire.
“I didn’t manage to save a single thing,” Kimati told reporters. “We have loans, and we are asking the government to look at us with a compassionate eye because this was the place we depended on. We have been set back 100 per cent.”
Another trader, Tisamo Kibule, expressed frustration over the lack of immediate direction from the authorities.
“The most sensible thing for the government to do would be to allow people to start fighting for themselves in this area, perhaps by cleaning it up themselves and resuming business, rather than continuing to sit without working,” he said.
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Mussa Ndile, the Chairperson of the Market Committee, confirmed that traders whose stalls were unaffected have been allowed to resume business.
However, those who lost their stalls are anxiously waiting for the Ubungo Municipal Council to clear the debris so they can set up temporary tables and begin trading again to feed their families.
Tension
The fire at Simu 2000 occurred against a backdrop of significant tension between the traders and the government.
The market site has been earmarked for the construction of a new depot for the fourth phase of the Dar Rapid Transit (DART) system, a project supported by a US$287 million loan from the World Bank.
In July 2024, hundreds of traders protested the relocation plans, arguing that they had already faced multiple evictions since 2014 and had invested heavily in their current businesses.
The Ubungo Municipal Council had approved the acquisition of 39,000 square meters of the Simu 2000 site for the DART depot, a move that was met with fierce resistance from the traders who feared losing their livelihoods.
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This ongoing conflict has fuelled claims among some traders and members of the public, who suspect that the fire may have been deliberately set to force them out of the area and clear the land for the DART project.
Authorities have consistently denied these claims, insisting that the fire was an unfortunate accident and that investigations are underway to determine the exact cause.
Not an isolated event
However, the Simu 2000 incident is not an isolated event. In recent years, several major markets across the country have been destroyed by fire, often in areas where the government had been attempting to relocate traders for renovation or development projects.
In September 2025, a massive fire ravaged the Kawe Market in Dar es Salaam, leaving traders in financial distress. Similar to the Simu 2000 incident, the rapid spread of the fire was attributed to the wooden structures and a lack of safety measures.
The most notable of these incidents was the devastating fire at the landmark Kariakoo Market in July 2021. The government subsequently allocated Sh28 billion to rebuild the market.
In a shocking revelation in January 2025, President Samia Suluhu Hassan stated that the Kariakoo fire was deliberately set to destroy evidence of fraudulent activities and embezzlement.
President Samia’s admission regarding the Kariakoo fire has only strengthened the suspicions surrounding other market fires, including the recent blaze at Simu 2000.
