Man arrested after he burns wife to death in Kericho

Police in Kericho have arrested a man believed to have lit his wife’s shop and burnt her to death following domestic wrangles.

Mrs Izen Cherotich, 22, died during the mid-morning incident while her husband Nickson Korir sustained burn injuries.

He was rushed to Kericho District Hospital under police guard.

Eyewitnesses said Mr Korir, a matatu driver and who had accused his wife of cheating, went to her M-Pesa shop at the heart of Kericho Town and doused her in petrol before setting the place on fire.

“On Friday, Mrs Cherotich had told me that she was afraid because her husband had told her that he was going to kill her if he got the chance.

“She was planning to go to court over the matter,” said a close family friend who sought anonymity.

TOGETHER FOR TWO YEARS

He said the two have been living together for two years in Kericho Town since solemnising their union through civil marriage.

Her body was taken to the Kericho District Hospital mortuary.

Police were forced to shoot into the air to disperse a crowd that had gathered around the building before rescuing the victims.

Fire engines from the county government of Kericho, SBI Roads Construction Company and James Finlay Limited battled the blaze for close to two hours before extinguishing it.

Kericho OCPD Kipkemoi Rop said they could not confirm the reasons behind the fire, adding that they had launched investigations into the matter.

“We are conducting thorough investigations into the issue. In the meantime, people should stop making insinuations about what exactly happened today,” he told journalists.