Fires in Kinshasa: a draft decree on fire prevention submitted to the Provincial Assembly

Kinshasa, September 8^th, 2026 (CPA).- A draft decree on fire prevention and safety in public buildings has been submitted to the bureau of the Kinshasa Provincial Assembly (APK) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), it is learned on Tuesday from a parliamentary source. “We have submitted our draft decree on fire prevention and safety in public-access premises in the city of Kinshasa to the Bureau of the Kinshasa Provincial Assembly for tabling and parliamentary consideration,” has said Provincial Deputy Jared Phanzu, the bill’s initiator. According to him, this initiative aims to provide the city-province with a provincial regulatory framework designed to strengthen fire prevention, the protection of people and property, and the inspection mechanisms for public-access premises. Mr Phanzu has therefore requested that this draft decree be registered and examined in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly and the legal provisions in force. The forthcoming decree should, in particular, “improve the organisation of the evacuation of people, emergency response capabilities and the monitoring of the premises concerned, in order to reduce fire-related risks in the capital”, has argued the elected representative for Bandalungwa. This proposal comes against a context marked by several recent fires in public venues in Kinshasa, particularly in party rooms, reigniting the debate on compliance with safety standards and fire risk prevention.