Residents from Kaibei location, Matubei ward, Endebess constituency in Trans Nzoia county are counting huge losses after a fire razed down 20 houses. The cause of the fire is yet to be established, and it reportedly razed down a house some days ago belonging to a resident in the same village.
Confirming the incident, area village elder James Taifa said there has never been such an incident connected to mysterious fires before and he explained how a huge ball of fire, propelled by the wind, swerved and landed on houses belonging to locals, burning the houses and the residents’ belongings. The residents linked the incident to evil spirits owned by a local in the area.
He said the incident has frightened locals in the area who have resorted to seeking refuge in the nearby church compound for fear of being attacked by the evil spirits that may be used to terrorize residents in the area.
His sentiments were echoed by a neighbour, Everlyne Cherugut, who gave an account of how she saw a fireball at night which was moving at a high speed and was emitting sparks and landed on several houses.
She said the incidences being witnessed in the area are a result of evil spirits that have descended in the area, and they are causing havoc.
The village pastor’s wife explained how she was preparing supper in her kitchen and saw the fire, which started mysteriously, spread fast on the rooftops. “I was in the kitchen preparing supper for my family when the fire started mysteriously. It was spreading at an alarming rate and my efforts to contain the fire were futile,” she said.
The incident has caused panic in the village with several locals spending their night outside for fear of being burnt by the fire in their houses while they sleep.
A woman in the area explained how she lost Kshs. 20,000 in her house as a result of the fire which was meant to cater for school fees.
She, however, admitted that she had been involved with evil spirits before and she gave an elaborate account of how her family ‘bought’ some spirits from Uganda to help cure a persistent disease she had. The evil spirits, in turn, disturbed them later on and are now being taken care of by her father’s brothers, she, however, denied being involved in burning the houses.