Tragedy strikes in Naivasha as two children die in house fire

A house in Kitui Village in Majengo, Kamukunji constituency where a fire gutted down a household claiming the lives of 7 people on November 20, 2024. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

A family in Naivasha is struggling to cope with the tragic loss of their two children, ages six and three, who died in a house fire on Sunday night.

The incident at their residence in Kirima along the Naivasha-Engineer road.

The six-year-old died at the scene, while the three-year-old succumbed to injuries after being rushed to Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital for treatment.

One other child managed to escape unharmed as the house and its contents were completely destroyed, resulting in property damage worth thousands of shillings.

Emotions ran high in the community as friends and neighbours tried to process the horrific event. Police arrived to investigate the cause of the fire, with Naivasha District Criminal Investigations Officer Isaac Kiama confirming that the cause is still unclear and that an inquest file has been opened.

Kiama noted that the six-year-old was overwhelmed by smoke and died inside the house, while the younger child was in critical condition upon arrival at the hospital but passed away shortly thereafter.

“The parents were not home when the incident occurred. We are waiting for them to recover from their shock before taking their statements,” he said.

Village elder Joshua Gikonyo reported that the children’s mother had gone to a nearby shop to buy groceries when the fire broke out around 7 PM.

“Residents heard screams and rushed to the house, managing to save one of the children and taking him to the hospital. Unfortunately, the other child had already died before the fire was contained,” he added.

In a separate incident in the same area, a bar fight ended tragically when a middle-aged man was struck on the head with a blunt object and died.

This incident led to public protests, with residents blocking the Naivasha-Engineer road, demanding the bar’s closure and the arrest of those responsible.

According to the CID officer, a fight arose among three men over a bill, during which one reveller struck another with a bottle.

“The injured man was taken to the hospital by his attackers but died en route. We have since arrested two suspects in connection with the incident,” he stated.