How teargas cannister caused fire that burnt down house in Kivumbini

As we step into her compound, Ann Mwenja is seated with a group of people who seem to be comforting her. Our attention is immediately drawn to the heavy smell of burnt timber and the sooty walls. This is what remains of Ann’s home in Kivumbini estate.

With a shaken voice, she welcomes us and invites us inside to see the extensive damage she suffered during the "Free Brian Protest " that took place on Friday, January 24, 2025.

She tells Mtaa Wangu that she had a two-bedroom house; however, there is nothing left of it after the fire reduced everything she owned to ashes.

Ann notes that on the day her house caught fire, the protest had been ongoing for six consecutive days.

“I had been at home while the protests continued. During the day, our homes were filled with smoky fumes from tear gas and the loud gunshot sounds. By then, we had grown used to it since the protests were on the sixth day.  What I didn’t know was that the events of the protest would lead to me losing everything,” she says amid tears.

The mother of three explains that, at around 7 pm she decided to go to the main road (the road leading to Lake Nakuru National Park) where her daughter was selling milk at a milk bar, to help her close the shop since the protests were not subsiding.

However, just 15 minutes after leaving her house, tragedy struck.

According to her, her 14-year-old son said he heard something fall in the backyard, followed by a loud popping sound.

Ann says that he rushed to check what had happened but was unable to identify what had fallen in the compound.

“My son described the pop sound as that of a tear gas canister exploding. Soon after, the firewood I had arranged in my backyard caught fire, which quickly spread to the main house. In the 15 minutes I was away, my children’s bedroom had burned to the ground, and nothing could be salvaged,” she says.

Ann, a poultry farmer, says that on that fateful day, she lost her source of livelihood after the 180 chickens she reared in her backyard died in the fire.

In addition, she lost all her documents , household appliances, her children's books, school uniforms, and other belongings.

“I have lived here for 14 years, and I have never seen such protests. The youth are bitter, and the residents want Brian released. My biggest question now is, can’t the government step in and resolve this issue, considering the extensive damage the protests are causing in our community?” she asks.

Ann notes that she has raised her children by herself with the income she earned from selling her chickens. Now, that source of livelihood is gone, and she needs help to start over.

" I appeal to well-wishers for help. Currently we have no roof over our heads. My children have to sleep in my neighbors' homes while I search for a place to stay," she says, explaining the hardship she is currently undergoing .

Ann is quick to note that she blames the Kenya Wildlife Service officers for not solving the Brian's disappearance matter with haste, noting that if they acted promptly it would have never gotten to search dire situations .

Despite her losses, she says that as a parent, she stands with fellow women in the community in demanding Brian’s release.