Mother, two children perish in Tororo house fire

A devastating fire ravaged a home in Tororo Cement Industry Central Cell, Ticaf Ward, Osukuru Town Council, claiming the lives of a mother, Jane Kisakya, 25, and her two children, Peter Kaliwako, 3, and Precious Kaliwako, 2.

The inferno, suspected to have been caused by petrol stored in the house, gutted the home on Thursday night, leaving the three family members burnt beyond recognition.

“I suspect the jerrycan exploded due to heat because we had a loud burst which reflected sound from a jerrycan,” said Bernard Woniala, a neighbour.

Woniala recounted that Kisakya was cooking inside her rented room when the fire broke out, and neighbours tried to rescue the family but were hindered by the locked door.

“We, as neighbours, tried to rescue the family, but unfortunately, the burglar’s door was locked from inside, and this took us time to render quick help,” he said.

By the time they broke into the house, the family had already suffocated and burnt to death.

Kisakya had been living alone after a domestic quarrel with her husband, Ben Kaliwako.

Village chairperson, Kefa Othieno, consoled the family and appealed to residents to avoid keeping petrol in their homes.

“It’s so sad to lose three members of the family at once, and it should be a learning example from this nasty incident,” Othieno said.

The area LCIII councillor, Michael Ayeli Ayeet, urged residents to embrace neighbourhood watch to raise vigilance among the community.

Town Council LCIII chairperson, Stanislaus Ofwono Toto, challenged landlords to provide cooking spaces for their tenants to prevent similar tragedies.

Police spokesperson for Bukedi south region, Mr Moses Mugwe, confirmed the incident, adding that an investigation into the inferno has been initiated.