This archive report was first published on 8 May 2020.
On May 8, 2020, a tragic incident shook the community in Buruburu estate, Nairobi. Terrence Korir, a 36-year-old man, lost his life in a fire that engulfed his Subaru car, parked in a court at Buruburu Phase 5 estate.
According to the deceased's brother, Dominic Korir, the family had already collected Terrence's body from Siloam Funeral Home on Thursday, ahead of the burial. 'Everything is on as planned, and he will be laid to rest later today (Friday),' Dominic said.
Police had initially suspected that the death was a result of an arson attack, given that only the inside of the vehicle burnt, while the outside and trunk remained untouched by the fire. However, a postmortem examination conducted by chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor revealed that Terrence was alive when the fire consumed him.
Dr. Oduor's findings cleared the air on claims that Terrence had been killed elsewhere and his body placed in the car before it was set ablaze. 'There was a lot of soot in the airways from the tongue to the lungs. This shows us that actually the person died in the fire. This is not a person who was planted dead in the fire. He was alive when he was burning,' Dr. Oduor said.
