A 77-year-old granny was burnt to death on Monday in her house at Kanyibok village in Siaya. Usenge assistant chief Manase Osuri said Alice Nyunja Odungo died in the incident that happened at around 6 am.
The granny’s mattress caught fire while she slept and her body was burnt beyond recognition. Osuri said a passerby saw smoke billowing from the house and raised the alarm.
“The old woman was alone in the house when the fire broke out. Preliminary investigations show the fire may have been caused by a matchstick she used for lighting a cigarette,” he said.
Osuri said efforts to rescue the woman were futile because help came late and the smoke in the house was too thick. “The deceased used to sleep with her granddaughter, but on the fateful night the girl had gone to a funeral in the neighbourhood,” Osuri said.
Osuri said police are investigating the cause of the fire. The body was taken to Bondo Sub-County Hospital mortuary.
Elsewhere, police have launched investigations into the murder of a 25-year-old woman in Bondo town on Friday night. The woman, who has only been identified as Irene, is reported to have died after she was stabbed by a friend at a drinking joint in Bondo town.
Sources said the two differed at around 9 pm before the suspect drew a knife and stabbed her on the chest. The suspect, who is a member is a band, fled after the incident.
Friends who were drinking with the couple called an ambulance to take Irene to hospital. She was pronounced dead on arrival at Bondo Sub-County Hospital.
Bondo Police Commander Harriet Kinya said the suspect is still at large.