Police launch probe after gospel artiste set ablaze in Mwiki

Rachel Wandeto. [Screen grab]

Police have launched a probe after a woman was doused with petrol and set ablaze in Mwiki, Kasarani, on Friday evening.

The incident left gospel artiste Rachel Wandeto with 70 per cent burns. She is receiving treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi.

Wandeto went viral earlier after tattooing President William Ruto's face on her chest, along with the words "Tutam" and his name.

Her husband subsequently asked her to leave their matrimonial home, saying he was displeased by the tattoos.

Her relatives said three masked attackers later demanded money or benefits they claimed she received from Ruto due to her support, before dousing her with petrol, setting her on fire and fleeing.

The public alerted police after Wandeto was rushed to Uzima Uhai Hospital for emergency treatment shortly after midnight.

Police officers who visited the hospital established that she had been attacked along Obama Road, 11th Street, by a group of three men.

She was later transferred to KNH due to the severity of her injuries.

Nairobi police boss Issa Mohamud said they were pursuing those behind the attack.

The National Police Service (NPS) condemned the attack alongside two other violent incidents recorded within 24 hours in Nairobi.

"Political intolerance has no place in competitive politics, our democracy, or our laws," noted police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga in a statement on Sunday, May 17.

The attack comes against a backdrop of rising political violence in Kenya. Ahead of the 2027 polls, Kenya has seen a sharp rise in political goonism, with organised groups of youths intimidating and attacking opponents, blocking roads and disrupting rallies.

A government working group report released in February 2026 acknowledged that elections in Kenya have historically been flashpoints for systemic gender-based violence and that perpetrators often linked to political or security forces act with impunity.

Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja described political violence and organised thuggery as a direct threat to national stability, warning that both perpetrators and their alleged sponsors will face firm legal action.