![The mother-of-two is said to have locked herself in the one-room house with her 6-month-old son, and, thereafter, turned on her gas cylinder. [PHOTO | FILE]](https://k24.digital/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GAS-CYLINDER.jpg)
A 30-year-old woman from Mwariki Estate in Nakuru West Sub-County on Thursday afternoon (May 7) committed suicide by setting her house alight.
The mother-of-two, Caroline Wanza, is said to have locked herself in the one-room house with her 6-month-old son, and, thereafter, turned on her gas cylinder so that the highly-flammable material could fill up the room.
After she was convinced that the gas had spread to her satisfaction, she lit a matchstick, and the cylinder exploded, causing devastating destruction, police said.
The woman and her child died on the spot. Her husband was away from home, when the incident happened.
It is said Wanza had sent her 13-year-old daughter to the shop at around 12 noon before locking herself up with her young child and committed the act.
Neighbours told police that they heard a loud explosion from the Wanza’s house, and when they rushed to the scene, they saw smoke billowing from her windows and the roof.
One of the neighbours, Ayub Karanja, managed to access the woman’s house through the roof.
However, the mother-and-son had already succumbed to their burn injuries.
Nakuru Town West OCPD, Samson Gathuku, confirmed the incident to K24 Digital, saying it is possible that Wanza was going through a depressing phase in her life.
Bodies of the mother-and-child were taken to Nakuru County Mortuary as investigations into the matter continue.
