Woman, her two children die as family home collapses

Police van at the scene where 28 years old woman and her two children on April 20, 2020 were buried alive and one survived with serious injuries in a house collapse at Kimaiga villager in Suna central location in Suna east sub-county. (Caleb Kingwara, Standard)

A 28-year-old woman and her two children died after their house caved in at Kimaiga village in Suna Central, Migori County.

The semi-permanent house came down yesterday morning following heavy rains that have been pounding the region. Area Chief Caleb Ombura confirmed the incident.

Evans Otieno, a night guard, said he received the shocking call that his house had caved in on his entire family.

“I was leaving work, heading home when I got the call,” said Mr Otieno, who last saw his wife and children on Sunday evening as he left for work.

One child was saved, while the bodies of his wife Benter Akinyi, and two children - Sara Apondi, 8, and Jerry Kennedy, four months - were retrieved later. The survivor, John Mark, 5, is admitted at Ombo Mission Hospital.

Margret Achieng, a co-wife of the deceased, said she had seen Akinyi at around 5am tapping rainwater from her roof. She went back to sleep but an hour later, she was woken up and found the house had come down.

Apolo Tabu, Akinyi’s brother-in-law, asked the county government to help them travel to their home county of Homa Bay to bury their relatives.

“We are from Kagan village in Homa Bay and we ask the Migori County government to help us transport the bodies for burial at home,” he said.