A fire erupted at a timber house in Muhindi Market, Nyandarua County on Sunday, October 25, 2026, killing four children while their parents were attending a church service.

Police said the blaze started at about 1:15 pm at a residence owned by a 45‑year‑old man in Gatimu Ward, Ol Joro Orok, and the structure was locked from the outside with a padlock at the time.

Officers who arrived recovered the bodies of all four siblings from inside the gutted house; the children were identified as nine‑year‑old Stephen Wahome, five‑year‑old Joseph Mwangi, four‑year‑old Polycap Thiong’o and one‑and‑a‑half‑year‑old Angel Annah Mumbi.

Investigators noted that Stephen was found cradling his youngest sister Angel on his lap, while Joseph and Polycap lay near their elder brother, underscoring the family’s close bond.

Firefighters from Nyahururu, assisted by members of the public, eventually contained the blaze, but the children had already perished before the fire was extinguished.

The bodies were transferred to Nyahururu County Referral Hospital mortuary for post‑mortem examinations.

Police have listed the parents as persons of interest while detectives seek to determine how the fire started and why the children were left alone inside the locked house.

Preliminary inquiries found no electricity connection, gas cylinder or charcoal stove on the premises, leaving the exact cause of the fire undetermined.