By
Khalwale James: August 2, 2010
A family now seeks refuge on
streets after their houses were burned down this weekend causing a loss of more
than Ksh. 500,000 by people they know very well in Mamboleo’s Kanyakwar estate.Picture: Section of a house in Kisumu's Kondele estate where property valued at about 0.5Million was lost. An organized gang attacked the compound in the dark hours and stripped naked all the children in the house before commanding them to disappear. Photos Khalwale J.L
According to the holder of the
house Mrs Saline Akinyi, the offenders had also stripped naked her children
demanding that they leave the place with immediate effect to spare their lives.
The clothes were thrown into the
flames to elevate ignition after the children of between one and 10 years of
age including girls were undressed in.
With nothing to point at as
property, the poor woman with her children sought refuge at Kondele police
station before proceeding to her cousin’s home in Mamboleo estate.
“Since the Friday incidence, I have
not seen my husband though I am trying to get him through his relatives. His
phone was lost in the fire,” Laments a very weak Mrs Akinyi.
Mrs Akinyi who is also a co-wife to
Judith Wanjiku said that they had been attacked earlier in the week by robbers
who had tried to break into the house in vain at around 1a.m before reporting the matter to the police
less than an hour later.
She says the family had received
threats from the neighbourhood out of a beef with their landlady who according
to Mrs Akinyi had left the compound by the time of the first attack after the
OCS had visited the scene of the incidence.
“But they came back on Friday in
company of a gang of six people and first attacked my husband who was holding
prayers in his room,” she said.
Akinyi says the land lady Mrs Jane
Akoth had allegedly come to the compound in company of the six people with whom
she is familiar with because they come from the neighbourhood.
They stoned Mr Victor Ochieng, her
husband as they shouted life threatening comments; “wewe Leo tumekupata,
tutakumaliza (Today we have found you, we shall clear you),” said the woman.
She narrates that after her husband
felt threatened and ran away, the gang entered his prayer room, picked up and
threw out everything from it before setting them a blaze.
“A young man (name withheld)
carried my television, radio, solar and battery on his back as I watched. He
took them to his home before joining his colleagues to roast my house,” cried
out Akinyi.
When they pulled down two other
houses of the polygamous husband by flames, one inhabited by Mrs Wanjiku, it
was now time for the gang to drive everyone away.
They allegedly sent away the
co-wives before stripping off the clothes of their eight innocent children.
They threw the clothes in the fire and implemented their order-to leave the
place with no one in the night.
Instead, the women and their
children went to central police station to report. The station OCS visited the
second crime and he was touched that he drove the family to the police station
for refuge.
However, police have made no
arrests so far despite the fact that the family had suspects at hand.
