Police in Murang’a county are investigating a case where six family members from Kandara perished in a fire incident in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
Margaret Wambui, aged 60, her three daughters and two grandchildren were burned beyond recognition after the fire gutted down their house.
According to the neighbours, they heard screams coming from the house at around 1:30 am and rushed to the scene.
Rescue efforts were futile as the flames became fierce and overwhelmed onlookers who watched helplessly.
The residents got curious about how one family member managed to escape from the house.
“We found Wambui’s sister outside the house and she had her items with her but she could not explain how she managed to escape,” one of the witnesses said.
The angry mob, who were baying for her blood, roughed her up before she was whisked to safety by police officers who has arrived at the scene.
There were allegations that the family had been entangled in a long-standing dispute and it is suspected that it may have been the reason behind the fire incident.
Murang’a county police commander Ali Nuno confirmed the incident and said the relative in custody will aid the officers with investigations.
He said the case appears to be an arson attack on the family adding that those who will be found culpable will face the law.
“We will not make any conclusions for now until we get a comprehensive report from the investigators,” he said.
The bodies were moved to the mortuary awaiting postmortem.
