Tragedy as woman kills her two children by setting house on fire
Residents of Saina estate in Kajiado County have been left in shock after a woman on Tuesday killed her two children by setting her house ablaze.
Police have said they suspect the woman committed the heinous act following a disagreement with her husband.
The woman is reported to have objected her husband’s decision to marry a second wife. The husband has been cohabiting with the woman in question and has been absent from home for several weeks.
The woman locked herself up and her two children, aged 10 and two years, before setting the house on fire in the 2pm incident. Neighbours frantically attempted to extinguish the fire but their efforts failed to saved the lives of the two children.
The woman suffered severe burns and was immediately rushed to Kajiado County Referral Hospital for urgent medical treatment. Meanwhile, the bodies of the two children were transferred to the hospital mortuary.
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Rift Valley regional police commander, Tom Odera, confirmed that an investigations into the incident are underway.
“Witnesses claim the fire was started from inside the house. Our experts are on the ground to establish more,” he said.
Neighbours have revealed that the couple had been embroiled in constant disputes over the past few months leading to the tragic incident.
A neighbour who aided in extinguishing the flames said the lives of the two children could have been saved had there been firefighting equipment in the area.
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Dalalekutuk MCA John Loisa, who visited the scene, urged couples facing marital issues to seek guidance from the church or community elders. He pledged to prioritize allocating funds for a fire brigade in Kajiado Central as part of the upcoming budget.
The tragic incident follows another one in Kajiado county, where a woman allegedly killed her two children and stabbed her husband multiple times before attempting suicide in Ongata Rongai. The woman and her husband are currently receiving medical treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital, with their conditions described as critical.
Following these incidents there have been calls for enhanced support systems for families facing marital challenges and for increased measures to prevent and respond to domestic conflicts and fires.
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