'I watched helplessly as my daughter and granddaughter died in fire'
The coffins containing the remains of Beatrice Wairimu Macharia, 24, and her daughter Angel Wairimu, 8, in Molo, Nakuru County on January 24, 2024. The two were buried in the same grave after dying in a night fire in the Umoja casino area of Molo, Nakuru County.
On January 20, a late night of laughter and warm conversation between a father, daughter and granddaughter turned tragic at James Macharia's home in Molo, Nakuru County.
Hours later, Beatrice Wairimu Macharia, 24, and her daughter Angel Wairimu, 8, died in a devastating fire inside the house at Umoja Casino area.
As the grieving father reflects on the events of that Saturday night, he desperately clings to the last fragments of that conversation about a daughter who was due to travel to Nairobi for work the following Monday.
James Macharia (in black suit) and his wife Grace (in white) at the burial of their daughter Beatrice Wairimu and granddaughter Angel in Molo, Nakuru County on January 24, 2024.
On Wednesday, Beatrice and Angel were laid to rest together in a single grave at Molo cemetery in a sombre funeral service.
Macharia says his remaining family are now coming to terms with the tragedy.
Beatrice, who had secured a job in Nairobi, had discussed her plans with her family just before bedtime on the fateful day.
“We had a lively father, daughter and granddaughter chat. My daughter, who is our second-born child, explained she was to report to work in Nairobi and I gave her my blessing," Macharia said.
"But as an old man, sleep got the better side of me and I retired to bed, leaving them behind.”
According to Macharia, there was a power outage that night, prompting his daughter to use a candle, which is believed to have sparked the fire hours later, turning the joyous night into a tragic one.
Checked the living room
At around 2am, Macharia says he awoke to a strong smell of burning but could not establish where it was coming from.
“I checked the living room and all was well but on reaching the children’s bedroom, it was filled with smoke. I called Wairimu’s name but she did not respond. I think she forgot to put out the candle when they went to sleep,” he said.
Macharia said he tried to break down the door, but the deafening roar of the flames was too much. He and his wife screamed for help and neighbours responded to the alarm and helped them put out the fire.
In a heartbreaking tale of a father's final moments, Macharia left mourners in tears as he described his helplessness as he tried in vain to save his daughter and granddaughter from the fire.
“She was a good child. Beatrice was humble, hardworking and loved by everyone in the family. All the documents she had prepared for that job were destroyed in that fire. We are very devastated by the deaths. May God heal us,” he said.
Macharia's nephew, Isaac Njoroge, said that when he arrived at the scene, there was nothing that could be done to save the lives of the mother and daughter.
"The situation was bad and we had to break the window and remove the bodies. Unfortunately, I lost my cousin and her daughter," he said, adding that most of the items in the room were destroyed in the fire.
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations arrived at the scene a few hours after the incident, but left minutes later after inspecting the house.
Residents of Molo expressed concern over frequent power cuts in the area and called on Kenya Power to install more transformers to prevent similar tragedies.
"Power outages in the area have led to the loss of household items," said Peter Muiru, a resident.
Molo police boss Timon Odingo said investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.
