Man burns lover’s house, restaurant

By Munene Kamau

Police in Kirinyaga East District are looking for a man who allegedly attempted to kill his girlfriend by setting her house on fire.

The fire, which started at about 11.30 pm on Tuesday night, destroyed two living rooms, household goods, and a section of a restaurant at Rwambiti market, all valued at Sh500,000.

The restaurant is owned by Kanu Deputy Secretary General Njagi wa Muthinji, who said the arson attack was not linked to politics.

He said his employee Jane Wanja had quarrelled with her boyfriend before the incident.

A shaken Wanja on Wednesday narrated how her jilted lover stormed into her house next to the restaurant wielding a knife and a hammer and threatened to kill her.

“I screamed for help while running away into my neighbour’s house leaving my child, eight, still asleep,” she said.

The furious lover then woke up the child and ordered him out of the house before allegedly setting it on fire.

Yesterday, Muthinji said police were called in and with the help of the public put out the fire, which destroyed property in the building.

He said his business had been ruined since no operations could take place until repairs are done.

Only the hammer the assailant had was recovered at the scene while debris of the burnt down items still littered the building.

Police at the scene said the suspect was well known and were pursuing him. Meanwhile, Wanja has urged for protection claiming her life was in danger.

“I am appealing to the police to maintain vigil since this man is still on the loose and dangerous,” she said.

She said she lost items in the fire including clothes, bank plates and her national identity card as well as schoolbooks and her children’s uniform.

Recently, former Turkana South MP Francis Ewaton Achuka allegedly committed suicide after killing his wife in his rural home in Turkana.

Neighbours, who called police, said they discovered the former legislator’s body in his house alongside his wife’s.