Six family members who died in mysterious Murang'a arson attack to be buried in one grave

A family of six have died in an overnight house fire on April 10, 2022. [Winfrey Owino, Standard]

The six family members who perished after a mysterious arson attack two weeks ago in Kandara, Murang’a County will be buried today.

The remains of the six will be interred about 10km from where they perished. The burial follows last week's autopsy conducted by the Government Chief Pathologist Dr Johansen Odour at the Thika Level 5 Hospital mortuary and which established that they had suffered 100 per cent burns.

The burial will be held in Gatitu, in Gaichanjiru.

The fire incident happened at Nguthuru on April 10 at around 1am. Rebecca Nyambura, a relative, said the bodies will be buried in a single grave on a piece of land that the late Mary Wangui, 58, inherited from her late father Joseph Njoroge.

Others who perished in the fire were Wangui’s daughters’ Cecilia Gathoni, 30, and Lucy Mumbi, 18.

Others were Gathoni’s children Margaret Wanja, 16, Jackline Wambui, 7 and Alvin Kiarie, 3.

“The burial arrangements have been taking place quietly and the final day to give the departed souls a send-off will be on Wednesday,” said Nyambura.

The DCI homicide department are still investigating the incident.

Wangui's sister Alice Wagikuyu was arrested as a prime suspect after she mysteriously escaped from the fire with her two daughters. Alice had been sleeping in a separate room from the others with whom they shared a family bungalow built by the family patriarch.

The suspect is also said to have salvaged her household goods from the fire that killed three generations of her sister's family.

A Kandara court allowed the police to detain her for 21 days at Muthaiga Police Station to enable them complete investigations.

Prior to the suspected arson attack, Wagikiyu was reported having reported the mysterious disappearance of her mobile phone and suspected her sister’s children could have been behind it. The matter was reported at Kabati police station.

Neighbours to the family claim that the sisters had a long-running feud centred on inheritance of the property left by the family patriarch who died in 2007.

Detectives are still interrogating friends and family members in relation to the incident. 

The county government in neighbouring Kiambu has announced it had waived Sh250,000 mortuary fees for the six bodies incurred at the General Kago Funeral Home at the Thika Level 5 Hospital.