An 80-year-old man has died after a late-night fire razed his home in Kegwa village, Kirinyaga county.
Christopher Mwaniki was alone in his wooden house when the fire broke out at 10 pm on Tuesday night, catching neighbours off guard and plunging the quiet village into shock.
Residents said they were alerted by frantic screams from the deceased’s relatives but initially struggled to trace where the cries were coming from.
“We heard people screaming but we could not immediately tell where the alarm was coming from until I received a call from the family,” resident Teresiah Wanjira said.
Neighbour John Kimotho said he rushed to the scene after hearing Mwaniki’s daughter, Jane Wawira, wailing.
He mobilised other villagers in a desperate attempt to put out the flames.
“We tried to help, but the fire had spread quickly. The wooden house was burning fiercely,” Kimotho said.
“It is painful that we could not save him.”
By the time residents managed to access the house, Mwaniki’s body had been burned beyond recognition.
The deceased’s granddaughter, Mary Wanjiru, said she was informed of the tragedy at 11.30 pm while at her home, about three kilometres away.
“I was woken up and told my grandfather was no more. I was in shock and could not even walk properly until a neighbour came to assist me,” she said, fighting back tears.
Detectives from Kirinyaga East subcounty visited the scene and launched investigations to establish the cause of the fire.
The body was moved to Embu Level 5 Hospital mortuary, where it awaits a post-mortem examination as the family begins burial arrangements.
Residents eulogised the deceased as a calm man whose death has shaken the community.
Authorities say investigations are ongoing to determine what triggered the fire.
