A 26-year-old woman who has been burnt by her husband for allegedly returning late from Nairobi where she had gone to collect clothes for sale has died.
The woman, Lucy Nyira, had been admitted at the Nakuru Level 5 hospital with 25 per cent burns after the incident on Saturday.
Hospital’s Medical Superintend Dr Joseph Mburu said Lucy succumbed on Friday morning while undergoing treatment.
“She was admitted at the burns ward and the medics performed wound cleaning and dressing,” Dr Mburu added.
The mother of two was seriously burnt in the face, neck, chest, upper limbs and part of the back. Neighbours said her husband poured petrol on her and then set her on fire.
Mr George Kuria, an immediate neighbour of the victim said he was among those who came to the rescue of Ms Lucy after a huge light of the fire was seen coming from their house.
Lucy’s husband, Mr Bernard Kahila who is a mechanic at Free Area Trading Centre was heard firing insults to his wife at around 7 pm that day.
“Lucy had just arrived from Nairobi where she had gone to pick a bale of clothes for her intended new trade. She told us that she had called her husband at about 3 pm on Saturday and alerted him that she was on her way back,” stated Mr Kuria.
He added that, upon Lucy’s arrival at about 6 pm, Mr Kahila was not happy and demanded to know why she had taken more than two hours to travel from the Country’s capital to Nakuru.
“He was the one who had the keys to the house and when he arrived, he sounded bitter. He locked Lucy outside and she was forced to spend some time at a neighbour’s house together with her children before going back to her place at about 9 pm,” explained Mr Kuria who has kept a close eye on Lucy’s progress at the hospital.
At about 9.30 pm Mr Kuria added that some faint screams were heard and petrol could be smelled from a distance. Neighbours were certain that all was not well with Lucy.
“We came out and grouped ourselves before forcefully breaking the couples house door that had been clocked from inside. Lucy was there lying on the floor and the fire was all over her body. Her husband Kahila looked terrified and even helped us to put off the fire from Lucy,” he narrated.
The matter was reported at Teachers Police Post in Menengai where the suspect was detained before taken to Central Police station in Nakuru town.
He is currently being held at Nakuru GK prison remand after police pleaded with the court on Monday to be given more time so as to finalize on their investigations.
