At least three in police custody over Ikusya fire tragedy

 Three people are in police custody in connection with last week's Mwingi raid that left a family in the area in the cold after their house was burned using petrol. 

MWINGI TIMES on Monday learnt that Mwingi based DCI officers nabbed two suspects on Sunday night while a third one has been in custody since Friday after he was rescued by police from a hungry mob who had descended on him with kicks and blows in Mwingi town. 

According to a source close to the family, and who has been following the case, the two suspects believed to be the masterminds of the attack are a youthful man and a lady allegedly believed to be his lover and partner in criminal activities. 

However, efforts by Mwingi based journalists to get information from Mwingi Central Sub-County DCI boss were futile after he declined to address the media.  He said he couldn't divulge any information. However, he promised to call the press later. 

Interrogating suspects

MWINGI TIMES has established that the DCI is still interrogating the suspects who will also give details of their accomplices who are still at large. 

By the time of going to press the DCI officer had not called the press as he had promised earlier in the day. 

But Mwingi Central Police Commandant Mr. Peter Mutuma confirmed that they had in their cells four suspects with two of them being key to the case. He added that court had already given the police a nod to detain the suspects pending investigations. "We made a miscellaneous application to the courts and it has already granted we detain them as we conclude the investigations," he told the media. 

Mutuma said members of the public played a critical role in making the arrests by giving a tipoff to the security apparatus.  The Mwingi Central police boss said they were working closely with a telecommunications company to get details of the fugitive suspects as well as to compile the investigative story. 

This comes even as the affected family of Mwinzi Kimanzi alias Mathitu who's a renowned trader continues to spend nights in the cold after their main house went down in flames leaving hardly nothing to salvage.

"We are staying in the cold. We don't have food. All our clothes and other valuables belongings such as academic certificates got burnt," the family told journalists on Sunday. 

They called on well wishers and government to come to their rescue.

STORY By MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT