Several families spend the night in the cold after their houses were burned by a 28-year-old man following domestic row with his wife in Homa Bay county.
The incident occurred when residents were attending a fund raising in aid of a bereaved family, in Litare Beach, Mbita sub-county.
Litare Beach Management Unit Chairman Isaiah Pero said the fire was started by a man who sneaked into one of the houses and doused the property with petrol before setting them on fire.The suspect fled as the fire spread to the neighbouring six houses.
It is reported that the man sneaked into the house with a jerrican of petrol and set the house ablaze after the occupants had left for the fund drive in the neighborhood.
It is alleged that the suspect was angered after his wife threw him out of their house.
According to some reports, the man decided to revenge the wife’s decision to kick him out the house. The woman used to stay alone before the man moved in when they got married.
Property worth 3 million shillings was destroyed by the inferno. One of the victims said they did not salvage anything from the house.
Pero called on the Homa Bay County Disaster Management Department to support the families with humanitarian aid.
The Assistant Chief of Kamasengre West Sub-location, Meshack Wachianga, said they were pursuing the suspect.
The Assistant Chief said the suspect is a well known person in the area because he has been cohabiting with a woman who is one of the victims adding that they will be able to get hold of him.
He told residents to find a better avenue for solving domestic disputes.
He urged the residents to be careful on how they handle domestic issues without causing damage to the society, embrace other ways not violence.
