A woman is accused of setting her family’s three-bedroom house on fire on Sunday night in Kathaia village in Embu County following a domestic dispute.
Her husband, Martin Njeru Gicovi, and their two children were inside the house when Beatrice Mueni allegedly committed the act.
What made Mueni set her house on fire
Reports indicate that the couple had quarreled before Njeru and their two children went to bed.
Mueni stated that she had gone outside to gather clothes from the clothesline when the fire began.
How did Njeru manage to escape?
According to Njeru, he was suddenly awakened by the smell of smoke and realized his house was on fire
He managed to escape through a window but quickly returned to rescue his 12-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter.
“I was sound asleep when I smelled something burning. I woke up to find the house in flames. I had to break a window to escape, then I went back in to save my children,” Njeru recounted, estimating the fire damage at around Ksh90,000.
As the fire spread, neighbors responded to Njeru’s calls for help, rushing to the scene to assist in putting out the flames.
During the chaos, a resident reported seeing Mueni running towards Ena Police Post.
It was later revealed that she had gone there to report an assault by her husband.
The situation escalated when angry residents, who had followed Mueni to the police station, confronted her.
Police intervened just in time, rescuing Mueni from the mob and took her into custody.
What Mueni revealed
In a surprising turn of events, Mueni reportedly confessed to starting the fire, claiming that her intention was only to destroy her property.
Police later visited the scene to assess the damage, and an investigation into the incident is now underway.
Meanwhile, police urged couples to resolve domestic disputes peacefully to prevent such dangerous incidents in the future.
