Probe as 76-year-old woman killed in fire incident in Kakamega

Mystery surrounds an incident where a 76-year-old woman was found dead after a fire incident in her bed in Khwisero, Kakamega County.

The body of Cathrene Ongoma was found on her bed badly burnt. Resients said she was a smoker and suspect a cigarette started the fire.

The woman lived alone in the house, and her remains were discovered by her grandchild on Monday morning long after her death. Police said they are investigating possible arson in the incident. This was after it emerged the house was not burnt in the incident and only the bed was gutted in the incident.

The body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy. A team of detectives visited the scene as part of the probe into the death.

Elsewhere in Kangari, Muranga County, the decomposed body of a woman was found in a napier grass after a suspected murder.

A group of locals who were gathering the grass were attracted by a foul smell to the scene when they stumbled on the body. 

Police who visited the scene said the corpse's skull and lower skeletal limbs were visible while the torso was decomposing and still partly attached.

The upper clothing was not easily identifiable, but a black skirt could be recognized, and no identification documents were found on or around the body, police said as they moved the body to the mortuary.

In Kegonga, Kuria, Migori County, a man was found dead in his house after he had been poisoned.

A mob later attacked and seriously wounded a suspect said to have been behind the poisoning.

The body of Paul Chacha, 26, was found lying in his house with foam oozing from his mouth. A cup with what was believed to be poison was found on the table angering locals who claimed he had been poisoned.

The suspect was rescued and taken to the hospital while the body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy.

In Cheptulu, Vihiga County, a man suspected to be a notorious thief was lynched by a mob.

Police said the incident happened at a funeral vigil event in the area.

The body of the man was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy. Cases of mob lynching have been on the rise amid efforts to contain the trend.

This is being done through public campaigns to discourage the same, officials said.