3 children related to Lowell Pastor perish in horrific house fire

By Tim Kimani,
Ajabu Africa News

LOWELL, Mass., AUGUST 29_Tragedy has struck Rev. Samuel Kimohu’s family following the death of his niece’s three children in a horrific blaze that engulfed their three-bedroom house in the coastal town of Lamu, Kenya.

Rev. Kimohu, who is the pastor of the Saint Stephens’ Community church in Lowell, Mass., received the devastating news two days ago, just as he finalized the burial of another close family member who passed away in Eldoret, Kenya last week.

The pastor who, together with St. Stephen’s church have been very supportive of different families in the Kenyan Community in Massachusetts, have of recent been faced with all sorts of tragedies.
 
Just last week, Rev. Kimohu led Kenyans in donating over $24,000 in legal fees for a 22 year old Kenyan who was recently involved in a fatal car accident that claimed the lives of  an elderly couple from Texas as they were changing a tire on the breakdown lane.
 
“I am very devastated by this sad news. My nieces’ kids were burnt beyond recognition and the family has lost everything they had,” he narrated to Ajabu Africa News. “This family needs urgent financial help from any kind hearted person,” added Rev. Kimohu.

Back in Lamu, a beautiful Kenyan coastal town, Joseph Njeru’s wife Wambui had casually gone outside her house to bring in their bicycle for the night when she saw a sight she’ll never forget.

Her neighbor and good friend’s house was in flames. She overcame the initial shock and rushed in to alert her husband Njeru.

The two then rushed out and started screaming for help. Little did they know that the fire that was ravaging the Mwaniki’s house right in front of them would claim the lives of three children.
 
Francis Mwaniki and Esther Nyanjugu are married and reside in Mpeketoni in Lamu district.

The wife, Nyanjugu, is a daughter to Rev, Kimohu’s  brother, Chigua Kimohu, who resides in Lamu.

Rev. Samuel Kimohu . File pic/Ajabu

On Monday the 24th of August, Mrs. Mwaniki left her house at around 7:00pm to visit her daughter Jane Wambui at Mpeketoni Sub District Hospital.

Wambui was expecting and was due on that Monday and Mrs. Mwaniki went to be with her daughter. Mr. Mwaniki had earlier left for Voi to attend a funeral.

Their three children, 14 year old Margaret Wanjiru, 7 year old Daniel Mwaniki, and 3 and a half year old Joseph Mwangi were left asleep in the house.

It was around 9:30pm that Mr. and Mrs. Mwaniki’s neighbor Wambui went out and saw flames licking up every inch of the house.

Together with her husband Njeru, they desperately screamed for help from the neighbors. Because it was at night, it took a while for the neighbors to arrive at the scene. For the better part of the hour, the neighbors did their best to fight the flames with buckets of water.

The fire ravaged on, and as Nyanjugu’s father, Chigua Kimuhu, recounted on a trans-Atlantic telephone interview with Ajabu Africa News, “we were all wondering whether there were any people inside.

The fire was too big for any rescue attempts and the neighbors were fighting it valiantly with everything they had.”

It spread to the goat pen that was next to the house and killed one goat but it was only fortunate that the neighbors managed to let the rest out and put out the fire before more damage could be done.

The area councilor, Mr. Kamere, arrived at around 11:00pm after he had received a phone call from one of the neighbors. He mobilized the police department and they arrived at the scene together.

The fire was dying down, but it had unfortunately reduced the house to ashes with everything inside.

Everybody’s concern was whether there were people who had been trapped inside. Kimuhu told Ajabu Africa News that once the fire died down there was the smell of burnt flesh. The police confirmed that indeed the children who had been left in the house had unfortunately perished in the fire.

Wanjiru, Mwaniki and Mwangi’s remains were found in what had been the master bedroom of the house.

Wanjiru was found right next to the window, which she had no doubt tried to open before the flames took her life. Mwaniki’s remains were found under the bed. The three children were burnt beyond recognition and the police put them in body bags and took them to the hospital for post mortem.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

The  thee children were all buried  in one coffin on that very plot of land on Saturday, August 29th, just three days after their death. Unreliable electricity supply and the hot weather in this area make mortuary refrigeration a problem thus the need for rapid disposal of dead bodies.

In the meantime, prayers have been organized to take place on Sunday, September 6, at 5pm at
Rev. Kimohu’s apartment at :
12 Royal Crest Drive Apt. 6 N. Andover MA, 01845. Get directions

Rev. Kimohu can be reached at Tel. (978) 996-0434. 
Well wishers are all invited to attend.

Ajabu Africa News wishes to extend our condolences to the entire family of Rev. Kimohu .

May the lord rest the souls of the three children in eternal peace.

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