Rangwe Member of Parliament Lilian Gogo has called on police to investigate
and arrest suspects behind an incident in which her house was set ablaze by
unknown people in East Gem Ward on Friday night.
The house was allegedly torched while the
legislator was in Nairobi attending the funeral events of the late ODM leader
and former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga.
Family members said the inferno destroyed
household items and personal property of unknown value.
Police have since launched
investigations to establish the cause and circumstances under which the fire
started.
Rangwe Sub-County Police Commander Magdaline
Chebet confirmed the incident, saying preliminary investigations had ruled out
an electrical fault as the possible cause.
“There was a blackout around the village at
the time the fire broke out. We have, however, started investigations to
determine what caused the incident,” said Chebet.
She added that no one was at home when the
fire began, and that the main gate to the compound was locked when officers
arrived at the scene.
“We found neighbours gathered outside the compound, but they were unable to
access the premises because the gate was locked,” she said.
Police officers responding to the distress call broke through the gate and
tried to extinguish the flames using water drawn from a nearby borehole.
“The officers managed to save a few items from the kitchen, but most of the
property had already been destroyed by the time we arrived,” Chebet added.
MP Gogo said she received news of the fire while participating in Raila
Odinga’s funeral programme in Nairobi.
“I was attending Baba’s funeral programme when I got the call informing me
that my house was on fire. I am still in shock and confused about what
happened,” she said.
The legislator appealed to the police to conduct a thorough investigation
and bring to justice those responsible for what she termed a deliberate act of
arson.
Police sources said the MP had previously requested additional security.
According to Commander Chebet, Gogo already had a male bodyguard and had
recently asked for a female officer to join her protection team.
“We were still processing her request for an additional officer when the
fire incident occurred,” Chebet said.
Authorities have since secured the property as investigations continue to
determine whether the fire was an accident or a deliberate act of sabotage.
