Jilted lover 'sets himself ablaze'

Residents of Gilgil town were left in shock after a man who had fallen out with his wife allegedly set himself on fire and died. During the Monday night incident, more than ten houses near Gilgil railway station were also razed to the ground.

Property worth thousands of shillings was destroyed as residents tried in vain to combat the fire.

According to witnesses, the man set himself ablaze in his house but unable to bear the heat, he fled into a nearby house seeking help, thus spreading the fire.

According to a neighbour, Paul Mwathi, the couple's problems started two weeks ago after they quarrelled and the wife fled from their home.

Mwathi added that the casual worker got depressed and started issuing threats that he would burn himself. "We thought that he was joking and ignored him," he said.

Mwathi said 12 houses were burnt down after the fire spread from the victim's house.

"The man fled from his house seeking help but he died minutes later," he said.

Residents blamed lack of a fire engine in the town for the spread of the fire. Gilgil OCPD Serah Koki said investigations into the incident had started. "There are many versions on the cause of the fire and we have opened an inquiry file," she said.

Meanwhile, two brothers from Mai Mahiu are admitted in hospital in a serious condition after they attacked each other with machetes.