EX-NIS Officer’s House Torched By Unknown Assailants In Kitui
A house belonging to a former senior National Intelligence Service (NIS) official was set on fire by unknown arsonists early Thursday morning in the Kavaini neighborhood of Mwingi West, Kitui County.
According to Kavaini Chief Timothy Muthui, the former intelligence officer and his wife, a nurse, were not at home when the tragedy occurred.
The pair was detained by police for questioning in connection with the murder of a businesswoman whose body was discovered dumped along the Thika-Garissa highway near Kavaini Market late Saturday night.
“The occupants of the home, the man and wife, were being held by DCI sleuths. They were therefore not around when their house was torched,” Chief Muthui said.
The pair was detained on Sunday, one day after the death of a nearby businesswoman was discovered by people on their way to church.
While there were no casualties reported in the arson incident, the chief verified that the fire destroyed goods worth millions of shillings.
The attackers’ identities are unknown, and they are believed to have fled immediately after setting fire to the house.
Chief Muthui stated that further investigations would be conducted, but suspected that furious members of the community may have committed the act, maybe in vengeance for the woman’s murder.
Following the discovery of the body on Sunday morning, locals held demonstrations in Kavaini Market.
The protest disrupted commercial operations and resulted in a barricade of the key Thika-Garissa route, impacting transportation on both sides.
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Anti-riot police were deployed to restore order and used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, some of whom had promised not to leave until action was taken.
During a brief 15-minute confrontation, officers fired several times in the air to scare away the throng.
Residents criticized police for taking too long to retrieve the body and for being slow to apprehend the culprits, despite locals claiming to know who was responsible.
The couple was still being held by DCI detectives for further questioning while the murder and arson investigations continued.
EX-NIS Officer’s House Torched By Unknown Assailants In Kitui
