A family of nine, a man, his wife, and their seven children, were burnt to death in a Upanda village in Ogunja, Siaya County.
Ouma Opondo and his wife, Jecinter Onyango, and their seven children, aged between just six months and 17 years, were burnt in their house on the night of Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
Preliminary investigations show that the deceased family had been engaged in a land tussle with their neighbor, who is also a relative.
Sylvester Omondi, who was sleeping in the next compound, says he woke up to thick fumes of smoke but was helpless to save the family.
Omondi, the caretaker of the home, said he was woken up by the smell of petrol at around midnight.
He said the fire had not spread, but he could not save the family since the door was locked with an extra padlock.
“The smell of petrol woke me up, but the fire had not spread. I screamed for help, but people did not wake up. They started the fire and added an extra padlock to the door,” Omondi said.
“They could not open the door, and they died one after the other. The children were calling out my name because I was the person close to them.”
Leah Mwanzia “We have never witnessed what happened here today. We are very sad and out of words.”
Court Battle Over Land
Family and relatives said Opondo’s family had a long-running dispute over a piece of land with the family of the woman suspected of carrying out the attack.
They explained that the court ruled in favour of the late Opondo and issued the orders for the suspect to vacate immediately.
“The family had gone to the police after the court issued vacation notice. I think it is this incident that caused the tragedy,” Leonard Joseph Ochieng, a relative said.
Omondi also confirmed that Opondo had obtained a court order directing his cousin to vacate the disputed land by Thursday, April 24, 2025.
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He revealed that Opondo had been battling his cousin, only identified as Owino, in court over the said piece of land for the last two decades.
“The court order had given his cousin up to Thursday (today) to leave the parcel to the rightful owner,” he is quoted by Nation.
Area MCA Andrew Omwende said the residents found a jerrican of petrol, which can be used as evidence.
He asked the government to deploy security officers to the area to ensure peace prevails.
“The truth is that a jerrican of petrol was found there, and that is an exhibit. The situation here is tense. Anything can happen right now as we speak,” Omwende said.
“The government should come as fast as possible.”
The home of a woman suspected to be behind the attack was torched by angry villagers.
Police arrived later and took the charred bodies of the family members to Ambira Sub-County Hospital mortuary.
Also Read: Adverse Possession: How You Can Legally Own Someone Else’s Land in Kenya
Police Report on Siaya Incident
National Police Spokesperson Michael Muchiri said one suspect had been arrested.
“Early today, about 4 am, in Sigomere location, nine family members are believed to have been locked in from outside their house before the residence was set on fire,” Muchiri said.
One suspect, 48-year-old Roselyne Atieno Okello, is in custody assisting in the investigations.”
He added that the police suspect the murders were related to a land dispute.
“Detectives are leaning towards a land dispute involving two families as the motive, but remain open to other possibilities,” he added.
Siaya County acting police boss Everline Kemboi said police have started investigations and promised to arrest all the suspects.
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