How couple lost three children in dawn fire
Wednesday October 16, 2024, was a normal day for Mr Mogaito Tong’i and his wife Damaris Mogaito.
The couple, who operate a small eatery and an M-Pesa Shop at Nyangori-Gachuba village, Kitutu Masaba Constituency in Nyamira County, were in high spirits as they attended to their customers.
When dusk set in, the couple closed their premises and retreated in an adjacent room located within the same building housing their restaurant.
They had supper with their four children and hoped to see each other the following day.
But little did Mr Tong’i and his wife know that this was the last time they would see three of their children alive. The trio perished hours later in a dawn fire incident whose cause is yet to be established.
The children— Suzzie aged 12, Bravon, 9 and Kendra, 4 — were all asleep inside a temporary structure they share with their parents when the fire allegedly broke out.
Their parents were sleeping in an adjacent room with their only remaining one-year-old child.
“It was around 1am when we heard that the house of Mr Mogaito Tong'i had caught fire. We rushed to the scene together with other residents to try and put out the fire,” Kitutu East location chief Charles Okeri said.
The administrator added that those who responded first to the fire, found it difficult to put out the fire as it had gotten wide.
“Those who arrived first at Mogaito’s home found it difficult to put out the fire because of the raging flames. When we finally managed to contain it, his three children had succumbed as they had been burnt badly,” chief Okeri said.
Mr Mogaito’s neighbour Christopher Obae faulted the Nyamira County fire brigade for not responding to their pleas.
"We tried to seek help from the firefighters but they were of no help. We were left on our own. We had to use water from a nearby stream to contain the fire," Mr Obae lamented.
Masaba North Sub-County Police Commander Tobias Ombima said they have launched investigations into the incident.
"We have opened an inquiry into the matter to establish what caused the fire. We send our condolences to the affected family," the police boss said.
The bodies of the deceased were moved to Gucha Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem.
Suzzie was a grade six pupil at Zana Academy where she was preparing to take her Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (Kepsea) exams in a few days to come.
Her brother Bravon was in grade one while Kendra was in Kindergarten and at Rigoma Primary School.
