Two children died and their mother was found dead in Homa Bay County on Sunday, after she allegedly locked them inside and set the family house on fire, police said.
The incident happened on the morning of Sunday, 31 May, in Kong’onge village in Homa Bay County, western Kenya. Police are treating it as a murder suicide. Authorities said Veronica Anyango, 30, allegedly locked her four children inside the home and set it ablaze before she was later found dead.
Two of the children died in the blaze. A neighbour who noticed thick smoke raised the alarm and managed to open the locked door, rescuing two other children, who were taken to hospital for treatment.
Local assistant chief Alfred Mbara said preliminary investigations indicated that petrol was used to start the fire following a domestic dispute. Officials said the couple had reportedly been facing marital problems, linked to the husband’s stated intention to take a second wife.
Crime scene investigators documented the site before the bodies were moved to the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary for postmortem examinations. Police said they had opened an investigation into the circumstances.
The deaths have shaken the village, where residents described their shock and urged couples to resolve disputes peacefully so that children are not caught in the consequences.
