Three children lost their lives after a fire engulfed their family home in Kahuho village, Kabete, Kiambu County.
According to police reports, the fire broke out on the afternoon of Monday, March 3, reducing the house to ashes while the children were inside. Preliminary investigations suggest the blaze was triggered by a gas cylinder explosion, though authorities are still conducting further inquiries.
In a separate incident, a 93-year-old man perished in a fire at his home in Ngecha, Limuru. Police stated that he was alone at the time, and his remains were discovered long after the fire had been extinguished.
Kabete police commander Anthony Mbogo confirmed the tragic loss of the three siblings, aged 14, five, and two, and emphasized that investigations are ongoing.
“This is the second such incident claiming children’s lives, and it is deeply tragic,” Mbogo stated.
The fire spread rapidly, consuming two residential houses, with the situation worsened by the delayed arrival of fire engines.
Frustrated locals protested the slow response, demanding accountability from authorities. The children’s father, Mwangi, recounted his desperate but unsuccessful attempts to rescue them.
“It was a gas explosion. I tried to save my children, but I couldn’t,” he said.
Despite efforts from neighbors, the fire proved uncontrollable, and by the time the fire brigade arrived, it was too late.
The bodies were transferred to the mortuary. Authorities noted that just two weeks earlier, another fire in the same area had claimed the lives of three children. Investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the latest tragedy.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a seven-year-old boy died after falling from a mango tree in Migwani, Kitui County.
Police reported that the child had climbed the tree to pick fruit when he slipped and fell, suffering severe back and head injuries. He was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
His body was taken to the mortuary for an autopsy.
