By Antony Gitonga
NAIVASHA, KENYA: Four minors from the same family were burnt beyond recognition after a fire broke out in a village in Naivasha.
Emotions ran high after the tragedy in Kiambogo village as the parents and area residents tried to come to terms with the incident.
The minors aged between nine and two years were sleeping when their timber-walled house caught fire in unclear circumstances.
The mother incidentally escaped without any injuries as questions emerged on how she left the children in bed.
Its suspected fire from the kitchen blew up a motorcycle in the room causing the fire to spread fast to adjoining rooms.
And as police moved in to collect the charred bodies of the boy and three girls, some relatives including the mother fainted as others wailed uncontrollably.
The mother Lucy Wambui said that she was sleeping when she noticed smoke billowing from one of the rooms at around 9pm.
The emotional mother told how she rushed to a neighbour’s house to seek help only to return and find the house engulfed in flames.
"The fire was big and we had to watch from a distance as all my children were burnt to death," said the mother.
Area member of county assembly Samuel Waithuki said that strong winds and the material used in constructing the house caused the fire to spread fast.
He said that it was still not clear how the fire erupted or how the mother escaped without saving at least the small baby.
"Some issues are not clear and we are asking police to fully investigate the matter as we seek well wishers to assist the family," he said.
Confirming the incident, Naivasha acting OCPD Serah Koki said that they suspected that the woman failed to douse off the kitchen fire before sleeping.
"We found the jiko near the burnt motorcycle and we suspect that this was the cause of the fire that killed the four minors," she said.
Koki said that the bodies were taken to the Naivasha district hospital mortuary as investigations started.
