An eight-year-old girl was Monday night burnt to death in a fire incident in Mukuru slums, Nairobi.
Several people were left homeless in the incident that started from the slain girl’s house and spread to other structures.
Police suspect the fire was started by a burning candle but they are investigating.
The father of the child who was a grade two pupil at a local school told police he had stepped out of the house for a long call and when he came back minutes later he found it on fire.
Nairobi police boss Augustine Nthumbi said they are investigating claims by the father the girl was sleeping at the time of the incident.
“The body was discovered long after the fire had been contained and we are investigating the matter,” he said.
It took long to contain the spread of the fire. The fire also affected several other structures rendering many homeless.
The remains of the girl were discovered long after the fire had been contained and moved to the mortuary.
Those displaced by the incident were forced to seek shelter at local church. The situation was worsened by rains that were experienced in the city on Tuesday morning.
Officials complain most of such incidents in informal settlements are caused by illegal power connections.
The efforts to contain the spread is also mostly hampered by lack of roads in the areas.
There is an ongoing campaign to expand the roads and discourage the trend of illegal power connections.
Fire brigade officials say there is a fire incident reported on a daily basis in these areas hence need to pay attention to the issues hampering response or causing them.
