A 26-year-old mother of three is nursing serious injuries at Nakuru-Level-Five Hospital after her husband allegedly set her on fire for getting home late.

Lucy Kanira, who has been confined to a hospital bed since Saturday, has over 25 per cent burns on her arms, face and chest, but doctors says she is in a stable condition. 

According to Kanira, the estranged husband who is in custody, attacked her at their home in Karatina Estate, Nakuru county on allegations of arriving home late from Nairobi where she had gone on Saturday to buy bales of clothes from a wholesaler. 

“After beating me, he doused me with petrol and set me on fire before fleeing the house,” she said. 

She said her husband is an alcoholic and drug addict. She said he gave her Sh10,000 on Friday last week to go and buy clothes to sell at their shop and was to return on Saturday. He had demanded that she gets home by 4pm.

Traffic problem

Kanira arrived late due to traffic and when she got into the house, her husband assaulted her before setting her on fire. She claimed that the man who she has been living with for three years, has been battering her. 

Nursing Officer in Charge Jennifer Mathenge said the patient was admitted at the facility on Saturday with 25 per cent burns. 

She said most cases of burns at the female wards have been from marital disputes and attempted suicides, adding that they try to manage them especially through counselling. 

“The husband had claimed that he lit the fire to chase off mosquitos from the house. He sustained injuries in the arm as he later tried to rescue his wife from the flames,” she added. 

A neighbour, George Kuria, said Kanira’s husband, who is a mechanic, is infamous for his temper.