Mysterious fires have destroyed seven houses of a Bungoma family and evil spirits have been blamed.
Residents concurred that spirits must have caused the trouble. No one was injured, but all are astounded.
A raging fire started in a living room of one house. Rescue efforts failed. As residents tried to put it out, another house went up in flames and others followed in quick succession. The fires caused confusion and fear.
The family in Mungore village, Bumula constituency, yesterday said they also heard strange animal sounds.
Head of the household Gabriel Kutima said the fires were so “wild” that they could not save anything.
Elder Joseph Wafula said evil spirits had been sent to torment the family. He said the family bought the land in the late 1990s but did not complete payment.
Two houses belonged to Kutima and the rest to his two sons — one having two and the other three.
Two houses were razed, but the rest only had their household items burnt to ashes. From the outside, they looked all right, but inside was disaster. Only ashes remain of what were once decent furniture, clothes and utensils.
Residents were in agreement that the confounding fires were beyond human understanding. They said the tragedy was otherworldly. Residents held true to their superstitions.
Kutima was dumbfounded. Something terrible had gone wrong. As the head of the family, he must take charge of the situation, however painful.
“I can’t for now say what had caused the fire. Since I was born, I’ve never seen such a thing. I’m totally speechless,” Kutima said.
Residents responded to their distress call, but they could not stop the fires. They splashed water and threw sand but the inferno continued to rage.
Kutima’s son Stephen said he lost everything. All indications pointed to the work of evil spirits, he told the Star.
Khasoko assistant chief Bernard Mutsoso said the fires were strange. He appealed to residents and the county government to support the family to reconstruct their lives.
The family was originally from Kakamega. They relocated to Bumula after buying the parcel. The original owner later died. He could have ‘sent the spirits in protest against the unpaid debt’, Wafula said.
One elder said their culture requires that they offer sacrifices in such situations to cleanse the family and exorcise the spirits.
Clan elders have planned a meeting to find a solution. It is their duty as required by their culture.