A woman from Kathaia village in Embu County has been accused of setting her family’s three-bedroom house on fire on Sunday night, following what appears to have been a domestic dispute.
The incident involved her husband, Martin Njeru Gicovi, and their two children, who were inside the house when Beatrice Mueni allegedly started the fire. Reports indicate that the couple had been arguing earlier in the evening before Njeru and the children went to bed.
Mueni claimed she had stepped outside to collect clothes from the clothesline when the fire began. Njeru described how he was abruptly awakened by the smell of smoke and realized the house was on fire. He managed to escape through a window and then courageously returned to rescue their 12-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter.
“I was fast 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 recounted, estimating the fire caused around Ksh. 90,000 in damage.
As the fire spread, neighbors responded to Njeru’s calls for help and rushed to assist in extinguishing the flames.
During the chaos, one resident reported seeing Mueni running toward the Ena Police Post. It was later discovered that she had gone to report that she had been assaulted by her husband.
The situation escalated when angry residents, who had followed Mueni to the police post, confronted her, demanding justice. Police intervened, rescuing Mueni from the mob and placing her in custody.
In a dramatic turn of events, Mueni reportedly confessed to starting the fire, claiming that her intention was merely to destroy her property.
Police later visited the scene to assess the damage, and an investigation into the incident is now underway.
The local community is calling for legal action against Mueni, labeling her a potential danger. Villagers are urging families to seek peaceful resolutions to domestic conflicts to prevent such dangerous incidents from happening in the future.
