Nakuru woman doused in petrol, set on fire by husband dies

A 26-year-old woman who was doused in petrol and set on fire by her husband in Nakuru, has died.

Ms Lucy Nyira, who had gone to Nairobi to collect clothes for sale, was burnt for allegedly returning late from the city on Saturday.

She was admitted to Nakuru Level Five Hospital with 25 per cent burns.  

The hospital’s Medical Superintend Dr Joseph Mburu said the patient died on Friday morning while undergoing treatment.

BURNS

The mother of two sustained burns on the face, neck, chest, upper limbs and part of the back. Neighbours alleged her husband doused her in petrol on her before setting her on fire. 

Mr George Kuria, a neighbour, said Ms Nyira’s husband who is a mechanic at Nakuru’s Free Area Trading Centre, was heard insulting his wife at around 7pm.

“Lucy had just arrived from Nairobi where she had gone to pick a bale of clothes for sale. She told us that she had called her husband at about 3pm on Saturday and alerted him that she was on her way back,” said Mr Kuria.

He added that when she arrived at around 6pm, her husband demanded to know why she had taken more than two hours to travel from Nairobi to Nakuru.

ATTACKED

Mr Kuria said that the man locked his wife and children out of the house. Ms Nyira and her children, however, returned to their house at around 9pm before she was attacked 30 minutes later.

 “At around 9.30pm, we heard faint screams from Ms Nyira’s house before we decided to break the door that had been clocked from inside. We found Lucy lying on the floor with flames of fire all over her body. Her husband looked terrified,” said Mr Kuria.

The suspect was later arrested and taken to Teachers Police Post in Menengai before being transferred to Central Police Station in Nakuru.

He is currently being held at Nakuru GK Remand Prison as police continue with investigations.