Four thieves who were on three Boda Bodas suspected to be out on a mission to steal sheep and goats in one of the homesteads in Enkamuriaki village, Kajiado County were lynched to death.
This was after a herdsboy spotted their motorcycles which had been parked in a bush near the homestead at around 11 pm and notified neighbours.
The four thieves who claimed to be from Mlolongo failed to explain what they were doing in the wee hours of the night prompting angry residents to lynch them using crude weapons.
Two of the motorbikes used by the suspected thieves had no registration number.
According to Area Chief Stanley Sompiroi, he received an alert from a member of the public about the foul male adults suspected of being thieves and by the time he arrived at the scene the three had already been beaten and seriously injured to death.
“It is unfortunate that locals took law into their hands before fleeing. What could have triggered the locals to kill the suspects is the recent livestock theft in this area,” Sompiroi stated.
Confirming the incident Isinya sub-county police commander Charles Chepkong’a urged members of the public to detest from taking the law into their hands and instead report suspicious characters to security agencies.
“We were informed about the incident at around 1 am and we went to the scene and found the four had already been killed. They all had dreadlocks and had serious injuries on the head inflicted using blunt objects. I want to urge members of the public to report suspicious persons and not to take the law into their hands. We are yet to identify the four since furious locals burnt down their documents along with the three motorbikes. We are pursuing those involved and we will prefer murder charges against them,” he said.
He said the security agencies have intensified night patrols to curb the rampant livestock theft urging locals to exercise patience when they corner thieves.
“The only way to unravel the livestock cartel which has taken this area by storm is arresting those involved to get crucial leads about the theft,” said Chepkong’a.
This comes amid an increase in livestock theft in Isinya Subcounty. Recently the county commissioner Joshua Nkanatha issued a shot to kill directive saying livestock theft was becoming so rampant to the chagrin of Kajiado farmers.
Elsewhere two other livestock thieves were arrested at Noonkopir area of Kitengela hours after stealing 22 sheep and slaughtering them in a rental house. Herdsmen trailing the thieves caught up with the two on Sunday afternoon packing meat in readiness to supply it to the market.
