A woman from Kathaia village, Embu County, faces accusations of setting her family’s three-bedroom house on fire on Sunday night, following a domestic altercation.
Beatrice Mueni allegedly started the fire while her husband, Martin Njeru Gicovi, and their two children were sleeping inside the house. Reports reveal that the couple had quarreled before Njeru and the children went to bed.
Mueni claimed she had gone outside to collect clothes from the clothesline when the fire began.
On the other hand, Njeru described how the smell of smoke woke him up, and he found the house ablaze. He managed to escape through a window and then returned to rescue his 12-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter.
“I was asleep when I smelled something burning. I woke up to find the house on fire. I had to break a window to escape and then went back to save my children,” Njeru explained. He estimated the fire’s damage at around Ksh. 90,000.
Neighbors responded to Njeru’s cries for help and rushed to the scene to assist in extinguishing the flames. During this time, a resident saw Mueni running toward the Ena Police Post, where she later reported that her husband had assaulted her.
Angry residents followed Mueni to the police post, confronted her, and demanded retribution. Police intervened, rescuing her from the mob and taking her into custody.
Mueni reportedly confessed to starting the fire, claiming she only intended to destroy her property.
Police later visited the fire scene to assess the damage and have launched an investigation into the incident.
