Behailu Kebede is a survivor of the Grenfell Tower disaster, but as is explored in the new Netflix documentary Grenfell: Uncovered, he became a scapegoat for the fire – despite having no part to play in the devastating incident.
In the early hours of June 14, 2017, a fire broke out in Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey residential block in West London. What began as a small blaze soon escalated into a full-scale inferno, rapidly engulfing the building due to highly flammable cladding installed during a recent refurbishment.
The Netflix documentary tracks these events, demonstrating how the 60-hour fire claimed 72 lives and exposing how systemic failures from businesses and the UK government that created the conditions for disaster.
Survivors, bereaved families, and first responders are given the space to share their stories, and to ask how this was ever allowed to happen. Grenfell: Uncovered also explores how Kebede was unfairly thrust into the spotlight, when the real causes of the disaster lay elsewhere.
Where is Behailu Kebede now?
Behailu Kebede is believed to still be living in London with his wife and children, but he has kept a low profile since the incident. However, last year he shared a statement saying he’d been left a “ghost of a man.”
Although the fire started as a result of an electrical fault in the refrigerator of Kebede’s flat, an inquiry found that he took all of the necessary steps, including calling the emergency services – and the money-saving cladding was what caused the flames to spread.
However, in the new documentary, Peter Apps, news editor at Inside Housing, points out, “In the aftermath of a fire like Grenfell, there’s a desire among the media, I would say, to find a simple scapegoat, a simple narrative…
“The Daily Mail ran a very aggressive piece which named the owner of the flat where the fire started. There’s a suggestion on social media that it’s something to do with Islamic terrorism when the guy is an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian who had a picture of the Virgin Mary in his flat.
“He was an Uber driver, he lived in a flat on the fourth floor of Grenfell Tower for about 25 years. The police suggested he go into witness protection because of the level of harassment.”
Apps goes on to say, “He was a survivor and a victim of what happened. He had no responsibility at all.”
This was confirmed in a 2018 inquiry, where Rajiv Menon QC described how Kebede was awoken by his smoke alarm to discover smoke coming from behind his Hotpoint fridge freezer.
He immediately rang 999, alerted his neighbors, and left without his keys. Menon said at the time, “Given all the garbage that has been written about him in the past year, it’s important to say that he is a significant witness and not a criminal suspect.”
Grenfell documentary reveals where the blame lies
Further evidence explored in the documentary has shown that the real tipping point came years earlier, during a £10 million refurbishment project completed in 2016. As part of the renovation, highly flammable aluminium composite cladding was chosen over safer alternatives.
According to documents that emerged in the aftermath, Leadbitter originally quoted £11.27 million to carry out the project for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. This was £1.6 million above the council’s budget, and so the contract reopened for bidding.
Rydon ended up winning it for £8.7 million, saving the council £2.5 million. This is one of many decisions that has faced scrutiny.
Experts have since testified that without the use of the cladding, the fire would almost certainly have been contained to Kebede’s flat and would not have spread to the rest of the building.
Despite being cleared of blame, Kebede’s life has been forever changed, as he revealed during Grenfell Testimony Week, a four-day event held in 2024 to provide a platform for those affected by the disaster.
His statement was read out by an actor due to all the “press coverage” about him. “After the fire, I wanted and needed to meet the families of the bereaved, and to pay my respects to the deceased, and also meet up with other survivors from the Tower,” he said.
“But with all the press coverage going on, I did not have the courage to do this. I just wanted to hide away. I became paranoid, I thought people were following me, I felt traumatized in my every waking breath.
“I do want the defendants to understand what happens to an individual like me, an ordinary person, not someone with wealth or power, who is caught up in a catastrophe, created and caused by wealthy and powerful forces in our society, who then stay silent to protect themselves.”
“I can’t really say I’m any better [today]. My partner and my children live with a ghost of a man,” he added (via The Mirror).
“I know, in my head, that the fire was the fault of RBKC [the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea], Celotex, the Government… in my heart – which is full of fear and grief, it was in my flat, my kitchen, where it started. It’s a deep pain, a shame that I carry.”
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