
Garissa market inferno prompts emergency measures
Traders have now called on authorities to ensure firefighting vehicles are well-maintained
The former spy and his wife were being held by DCI over the murder of a businesswoman
In Summary
A house belonging to a retired senior National Intelligence Service (NIS)
officer was set ablaze by unknown arsonists early Thursday morning in Kavaini
area, Mwingi West, Kitui County.
According to Kavaini Chief Timothy Muthui, the
former intelligence officer and his wife, a nurse, were not in the house at the
time of the incident.
The couple was in police custody for interrogation over the murder of a
businesswoman whose body was found dumped along the Thika–Garissa highway near
Kavaini Market on Saturday night.
“The occupants of the home, the man and wife,
were being held by DCI sleuths. They were therefore not around when their house
was torched,” Chief Muthui said.
The couple was arrested on Sunday, a day after
the body of the businesswoman—who lived nearby—was discovered by residents
headed to church.
While no injuries were reported in the arson
attack, the chief confirmed that property worth millions of shillings was
destroyed in the fire.
The suspects behind the attack remain unknown and are believed to have fled
immediately after setting the house ablaze.
Chief Muthui said further investigations would be carried out but hinted that angry members of the community may have been behind the act, possibly in retaliation for the woman’s murder.
Following the discovery of the body on Sunday
morning, residents staged demonstrations at Kavaini Market.
The protest disrupted business operations and led to the blockade of the
busy Thika–Garissa highway, affecting transport on both sides.
Anti-riot police were deployed to restore
order and fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom had vowed not
to leave until action was taken.
Officers also fired in the air
several times to scare off the crowd during a brief confrontation that lasted
about 15 minutes.
Residents accused police of taking too long to
collect the body and of dragging their feet in arresting the suspects, despite
locals claiming to know who was responsible.
The
couple was still being held by DCI officers for further questioning as
investigations into both the murder and the arson continued.
Traders have now called on authorities to ensure firefighting vehicles are well-maintained