A sombre mood has engulfed Bunyikhu village in Ikolomani, Kakamega County, after three people were killed in an attack on Nyumba Kumi leaders who were on security patrol on Friday.
Two of the three were members of Nyumba Kumi who had joined the local assistant chief to arrest a suspected criminal amid rising insecurity and substance abuse in the area.
The third victim, a member of the criminal gang that had attacked the Nyumba Kumi officials, was attacked and killed by irate members of the public.
Kakamega South sub-county Police Commander William Sadig confirmed the incident in which two houses belonging to the suspects were torched.
Mr Sadig said the main suspect that they were pursuing attacked the Nyumba Kumi members when they arrived at his home and seriously injured the two who succumbed.
One Nyumba Kumi officials died on the spot and another succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment at a local hospital.
The incident attracted the fury of locals, who turned on the suspect's accomplice and killed him.
He said the suspect is a bhang peddler and a "known criminal" who was serving probation after a court released him and gave him a non-custodial sentence.
"Members of Nyumba Kumi had gone to the home to arrest the suspect, who then stubbed two of them. One died on the spot and another died while receiving treatment," said Mr Sadig.
He added: "The main suspect escaped but villagers arrested his accomplice and killed him. The one who is on the run is a known criminal and had just been released from custody."
The incident has stoked fears about rising insecurity in the area, which is widely known for consumption of illicit substances such as bhang and chang'aa among the youth.
Ms Yvonne Khamati, who once served in the East Africa Legislative Assembly, expressed her concerns over the deaths and called on the police to help beef up security.
She said the Friday incident came days after she held a meeting with the county commandant and his deputies from Kakamega to discuss insecurity in Ikolomani.
She noted that during the meeting she handed over forty 4G-enabled mobile phones to each of the officers to enhance their communication and ensure constituents could easily reach them.
"It's with sadness and sorrow that I take this opportunity to strongly condemn the attack that saw several people lose their lives," she said in a statement.
While condoling with the affected families, she said it was a pity as insecurity was leading to deaths, injuries and destruction of property.
