This archive report was first published on 5 December 2019.
On December 5, 2019, a devastating fire gutted the roof of a house in Kibingoti village, Ndhia Constituency, Kirinyaga County, leaving its owner, Elizabeth Muthoni Gacheru, a widow and primary school teacher, counting her losses.
According to eyewitnesses, Ms. Gacheru had spotted a snake slithering into her house while she was washing clothes. In a bid to flush the snake out, she took a piece of cloth, set it on fire, and threw it into the bedroom where the snake was hiding.
However, the situation took a tragic turn when the fire spread to other rooms in the house, leaving Ms. Gacheru shocked and helpless.
"I decided to light fire so that the snake could run away but I was shocked to see the whole house on fire," Ms. Gacheru said in an interview.
The fire destroyed property worth approximately Ksh.1 million, including clothing and electronics. Despite efforts by firefighters, nothing was salvaged from the house, leaving it in a weakened state.
Local residents have since pledged to organize a fundraising campaign to support the widow in rebuilding her home.
