The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Police in Nyamira County are probing the deaths of four family members after a late-night fire razed their home in Matongo village, Nyamokoroto sub-location, Masaba North.
The victims — identified as Rodrick Makini Angwenyi (57), his wife Jackline Bochaberi (57), their daughter Mary Ann Makini (23), and a three-month-old grandchild, Bruce Taylor — perished when flames engulfed their house on Friday, August 22.
Investigators suspect the incident was not accidental but a case of murder and arson, reportedly tied to a dispute over the sale of a bodaboda linked to a Sacco loan. Police say this is one of the key theories under review.
Three other children survived: 17-year-old twin girls who had been sleeping in a nearby kitchen, and a 12-year-old who managed to escape through a window with minor burns. The latter is receiving treatment at a local hospital.
At the scene, police recovered petrol bottles believed to have been used to start the fire, alongside a note from the lending agency that financed the family’s motorcycle purchase. Both are being analyzed as part of ongoing investigations.
Neighbours told police that debt collectors from the agency had made repeated visits to the family’s home, demanding repayment. Authorities have since listed officials from the company as persons of interest.
The bodies were taken to the local mortuary as detectives continue investigations into the suspected arson-murder.
