Woman, two children die in house fire

A woman and two children were killed on Tuesday night when an inferno burnt down a house in the Kiamaina slums on the outskirts of Nyahururu, Laikipia County.

Area Chief Joseph Muraya said Ms Rebecca Nyiha, 40, perished alongside the children, aged four and three, when the fire gutted their one-room rental house.

The fire that burnt the three beyond recognition also left scores homeless, he said.

“The three bodies were discovered in the house after the fire was extinguished. Nothing was salvaged from the fire that left about 20 residents homeless,” he said.

Mr Dennis Kariuki, a neighbour who suffered multiple burns on his back, said the fire started in the room where the three were sleeping before spreading to neighbouring timber houses.

“I was awakened by intense heat, only to notice that a section of the house was on fire, I managed to rescue my family before trying to break into their house to rescue them but I was stopped by the huge fire,” he said.

Residents said Ms Nyiha was a visitor in the house and had been spotted in the area drunk before her body was discovered alongside those of the two minors in the house.

“We are not sure how the lady ended up in the house as the children’s mother is now living in the streets of Nyahururu town after separating from their father,” said a resident.

Locals urged the county government to deploy a fire engine to the slums, which have witnessed a series of fires and other disasters.

Nyahururu Deputy County Commissioner Ndambuki Muthike said the police in Nyahururu were investigating the incident.

“The cause of the fire has not yet been established but police have taken over,” he said.

The bodies were taken to the Nyahururu County Referral Hospital mortuary.

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