Final wisps of smoke rise from the charred belongings of Leah Wanjiru Kamau in Mabruk Village, Gilgil Sub-County.

In this house, Leah tragically lost her life in a fire that broke out while she was asleep in the early hours of January 24.

The 83-year-old is described by her neighbours as a dedicated woman of the African Inland Church (AIC), kind and having no known ill will towards anyone.

“Wanjiru came here in 1971, and we’ve been friends ever since. We go to church together and have been actively involved in our church’s activities, supporting the youth, children, and other women like us,” says Hannah Mbugua, a friend.

Samuel Chege, a pastor at AIC, says, “She was a key pillar in the church, and as a congregation, we feel her loss deeply. Her position cannot easily be filled, but we hope someone with the same humanity and spirit as Leah will take her place.”

Mtaa Wangu contacted Gilgil Sub-County Police Commander Winstone Mwakio, over a phone call, who says that Wanjiru’s house was engulfed in flames under mysterious circumstances while she was asleep, and investigations have commenced to determine the cause of the fire.

“The deceased's body has been transported to Gilgil Sub-County Hospital, where it is awaiting post -mortem. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) have now taken charge of the matter,” says Mwakio.

Speaking to Mtaa Wangu, a section of residents blame the poor state of the roads for the inability to save Leah in time.

They argue that difficult access to the area, along with the breakdown of the fire engine, delayed the rescue efforts, ultimately contributing to the tragic outcome.

“I received a call around 8 p.m. informing me of the fire incident, and it’s been a huge loss for us here,” says Geoffrey Gitau.

“Unfortunately, our roads are in a poor state, and I believe that if we had better roads, we could have reached the scene much faster. Even the fire brigade did their best, but they encountered a 30-minute delay due to a breakdown, which we attribute to the poor state of the road.”

83-year-old granny dies in tragic fire incident

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Leleti Jassor