A woman in Kajiado on Tuesday killed her two children aged 10 and two over disagreements with her husband in what police and neighbours say could have been caused by infidelity in their marriage.
The woman is said to have set ablaze her shanty house with the two children inside at Saina estate in Kajiado Central constituency.
Detectives handling the matter have intimated to the Star that the woman claims to have been angered by her husband’s decision to marry a second wife.
The husband is alleged to have been cohabiting with another woman and has been away from the home for the past weeks.
That anger prompted the woman to lock herself and her children inside the house before setting it on fire at about 2pm.
Neighbours who rushed to the scene struggled and eventually put out the fire, but it was too late to save the children as they had already succumbed.
The woman sustained serious burns and was rushed to Kajiado County Referral Hospital. The bodies of the two children were taken to the mortuary wing of the hospital awaiting autopsy.
Rift Valley regional police commander Tom Odera said they were investigating the incident to establish what transpired.
"Witnesses claim the fire was started from inside the house. Our experts are on the ground to establish more," Odera said.
Neighbours said the woman and her husband have been engaged in constant wrangles over the last few months and the two had quarrelled even on Tuesday.
Joseph Ng’ang’a, one of the neighbours who helped put out the fire, called on the county government to invest in firefighting equipment that could help save lives and property during fire incidents.
“We really struggled to put out the fire as there is no water here. A bowser which was ferrying water came to our rescue and helped put out the fire but it was too late to save the children,” Ng'ang'a said
Dalalekutuk MCA John Loisa who visited the scene advised couples to seek advice from the church or their elders whenever they have marital issues.
The ward representative promised to ensure that a fire brigade for Kajiado Central is budgeted for in this year's budget.
"We are currently at the budget-making process and will ensure we set aside funds for the fire brigade for this area to ensure lives and property are saved whenever there is a fire incident," he said.
The incident comes barely two weeks after another woman allegedly killed her two young children and stabbed her husband three times before attempting to die by suicide in Ongata Rongai, also in Kajiado county.
The woman who is admitted at the Kenyatta National Hospital remains in critical condition. The husband who was stabbed three times, on the head and neck, after he arrived home past 1 am is also in hospital.
