It is said 19 years old Dorris Miriam locked her 30 years old husband Daniel Mwangi, her 3 years old child and herself in their house before setting it ablaze at 2am on Sunday morning.
Beth Nyambura, Mwangi’s grandmother said Miriam hid the keys to the house after locking the doors with a pad lock, poured paraffin around the house and on their mattress before lighting it.
Nyambura said shortly afterwards, they heard the screams of her grandchildren and called neighbors who responded immediately.
Nyambura said the neighbors broke down the door and rescued the couple and their child after which they were rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital in a serious state.
“We later received reports that the two had passed away shortly after they were admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital,” the grandmother said.
Confirming the incident, Maragua OCPD John Onditi said preliminary investigations have indicated that Miriam lit the fire in an attempt to kill her family.
Ondito noted that the young couple had been having constant quarrels and that on the material day, they had had a serious disagreement before they retired to bed.
The OCPD expressed concerns over the many murder-suicide cases among married couples and urged residents to put in place better conflict resolution mechanism in their homes to avert such situations.
“It is unfortunate that people can resort to such devastating actions over disagreements in their homes,” Onditi said.
He said the child is still receiving treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital and that he is in a stable state.
-ALICE WAITHERA