A mother and her three children perished after their house was gutted by fire yesterday morning at Subukia in Nakuru County.

County Police Commander Beatrice Kiraguri said two children managed to escape from the burning house at Molo-Edgewood village. 

Kiraguri said two girls had left the house minutes to 6am for school ahead of the closing ceremony later in the day.

“The two girls in Form One and Three are being counselled... Their mother and three siblings perished in a house fire at around 6am,” said Kiraguri. 

The students left their mother and five siblings sleeping, only to learn later that their house had been razed.

“Two children aged 12 and 9 were sleeping in a separate room when they were woken up by the fire. They tried to wake up their mother and their other three siblings but didn’t succeed,” said Kiraguri.

The two dashed out of the house after their clothes partly caught fire and raised alarm.

“The mother has been identified as Jacinta Wamucii who died alongside her children Mary Wanjiru, 6, Harrison Ndirangu, 3, and her one-year-old Elijah Ndirangu.

The bodies were taken to Nyahururu Hospital mortuary.

Samuel Gachobe, the area MP, said the family man, Mr David Mwangi, had left the home on Tuesday for Narok where he works.

“On Monday we buried Wamucii’s sister in this village. Now we have four other members of the same family dying today. This is a huge blow to Mwangi and his family,” said Mr Gachobe.