Love triangle drives Kakamega woman to kill self, children
Villagers at the home of a woman who burned herself with two children inside their house at Lugari station village in Lugari Constituency, Kakamega County.
A village in Kakamega County is in shock after a woman locked herself in a house with her two children and set it on fire after a fight with her husband.
The woman, 35, identified as Hellen Vuyanzi and her two children Wisdom Hosea, 1, and Chris Baraka, 4, died in the fire.
It is suspected the woman could have doused the house with petrol before setting it ablaze.
The fight is reported to have been triggered by the suspicion that Vuyanzi’s husband only identified as Tom was having an extramarital affair.
During the Saturday night incident, her eldest son, Nathaniel Upendo, 10, managed to escape from the burning house and screamed for help, attracting neighbours.
Lugari Sub County Police Commander Mr Bernard Ngungu said the woman and her husband had earlier had a brawl at the Lugari Station trading centre.
“The woman had suspected her husband was having an affair with another woman and confronted the party. She caused a commotion before she left for home,” said Mr Ngungu.
“There is clearly an element of a love triangle in the incident. The woman got furious after she was called by a friend who informed her that her husband was having an affair with another woman. We are yet to establish whether the flammable substance was petrol,” said Mr Ngungu.
At 7pm, neighbours heard screams at the home and rushed to investigate what was happening.
Locked from the inside
When they got there, they found the house engulfed in flames and the doors locked from inside.
A relative, Mr Stephen Okila said neighbours tried to battle the flames burnt did not manage to bring it under control.
“They found the whole house was on fire and the doors had been locked from the inside. This frustrated efforts to rescue the woman and her children who were in one of the rooms,” said Mr Okila.
Relatives had converged at the home under a tree discussing the incident in hushed tones.
“The family members are discussing with elders and trying to contact the relatives of the woman on what had happened but other preparations including the burial can be arranged,” said Mr Okila.
Villagers said the incident had cast a dark shadow on what had been a promising start to the New Year.
They said the deaths of the woman and her two children were too painful and unbearable.
“We are so saddened by what has happened. Our Christmas festivities had gone on smoothly and we had all ushered in the New Year with hope and great expectation,” said an elder.
Mr Ngungu said investigations were in progress.
