There were just hours to go before the solemnising of his marriage to a woman he had been living with for six years when the worst happened.
Bernard Chemweno (inset), a 33-year-old secondary school teacher at Maraba Secondary School in Nandi County, set himself ablaze.
The nasty turn of events has left his spouse, Mercy Chebichii, in shock and grief.
His wedding committee has been transformed into a funeral committee, as Kimoning Village in Uasin Gishu County comes to terms with the incident.
On the fateful Thursday, Bernard’s family had travelled to Cheptais in Mt Elgon for dowry negotiations for his younger brother, Festus Chemweno.
But Bernard remained behind.
“On Thursday morning, a group of relatives accompanied by Benard’s wife set out on a journey to Cheptais but he remained at home alone to finalise his wedding plans and run errands,” explains Oliver Chemweno, his elder brother.
The downcast Oliver says he kept in touch with Bernard via phone throughout their journey to Cheptais to update him of their progress, but at some point in the night as they were travelling back Bernard’s phone went off.
“I talked to Bernard when travelling back home from the pre-wedding more than once, but his phone was off and I thought it had run out of battery charge, only to be called by a neighbour who told us that the house his wife was renting was on fire,” he narrates.
Ill-fated house
His wife, who is also a high school teacher, lived in the ill-fated house in Kapkei village in Uasin Gishu County.
“It was around midnight and we were close to home when I received the call that made all of us worried.
-standardmedia.co.k
