A man died on Wednesday when the house he was sleeping in caught fire at Kiamindu village, Uika Location of Yatta sub-county.
The deceased had gone to visit his friend a businessman in the area and they spent the night together, according to the police.
Speaking at his office, the Yatta OCPD Mr Edward Kipsang, told the press that businessman Njeru Mwathani had kept five litres of petrol in his house, which caught fire after he tried to light a lamp at 6am today.
He said that the deceased was burnt beyond recognition while his friend was seriously injured in the fire, which spread quickly.
Nothing was saved from the house by the neighbours despite their efforts to put out the fire as no fire men answered their call.
The OCPD said that they could not identify the dead man and were waiting for Mwathani to gain consciousness and give the police details of the deceased.
He however said that the police had begun with further investigation if there was any ill intention behind the incident or it was an accident.
He called for the members of public to ensure they stay safe and avoid storing such petroleum products in the residential houses as they are highly flammable.
He said he will liaise with the county government as Yatta has no fire brigade vehicle and it’s so unfortunate that they couldn’t put out the fire.
The body was taken to Yatta level four hospital morgue.