Panic and grief have gripped residents of Agoro Oyombe Village in North Alego, Siaya County, following a series of coordinated late-night arson attacks that left at least five homes destroyed and multiple families displaced.
The incidents, which occurred on Friday, July 31 night, involved unidentified perpetrators who set fire to residential structures and farm buildings while families slept. Victims reported losing all their household items, equipment, and personal belongings to the blazes.
Samuel Omondi Wadenya, a media worker and one of the victims, recalled waking up around 11:00 PM to suffocating heat inside his house.
”I woke up suddenly because I felt immense heat. When I got out of bed, I realized the house was already engulfed in flames,” Wadenya said. “I ran to call for help, but neighbors advised against going back inside because the roof was on the verge of collapsing. Everything I owned, including all my media equipment, was completely destroyed.”
Wadenya added that the attack was part of a troubling pattern of rising insecurity and unaddressed criminality in the area.
Another affected resident, Kilion Oduor Onyango, a bodaboda rider, escaped his burning home alongside his wife and young child around midnight after being awakened by his crying infant.
”Smoke was already filling the room when I opened my eyes,” Onyango said. “We escaped with nothing more than the clothes on our backs. I am left with absolutely nothing.”
Local elders and women in the village expressed frustration over daytime burglaries, livestock theft, and recurring night attacks, calling on law enforcement agencies to step up patrols and security measures.
Area Member of Parliament Samuel Atandi, who visited the scene alongside local administration officers and police commanders, condemned the arson attacks and pledged relief support to help victims rebuild.
”We have received testimonies from the victims and established that these were deliberate acts of crime committed by individuals within this locality,” Atandi said. “Some suspects have already been identified. We are coordinating with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to ensure that every individual involved is arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Police have launched formal investigations into the incident, with local administration officers urging residents to remain calm and share information to help identify the culprits.
