Two suspected livestock rustlers were lynched on Monday by angry residents in Karugiro village, Kirinyaga County.
Residents on patrol at dawn stumbled upon the suspects slaughtering four cows believed to have been stolen and loading the meat into a Toyota Probox and confronted them.
Sensing danger, the suspects took off in different directions but they were cornered and beaten unconscious.
Residents cut up the suspects with machetes and clobbered them with rungus, accusing them of being part of a well-organised gang that was stealing their cows and goats and slaughtering them for sale to unscrupulous butchers in Kiambu, Murang'a and Nairobi.
Acting on a tip-off, police rushed to the scene and fired in the air several times to rescue the victims but their efforts were fruitless.
"Police fired in the air but they could not save the suspects because the residents were very violent," said area Chief Munene Kiura.
The remains of the thieves, who are yet to be identified, were taken to the Kerugoya Referral Hospital mortuary.
"We have been spending sleepless nights to protect our remaining animals. But today it is the 40th day of a thief," one of them said.
They said the rustlers strike in the dead of night, steal their animals and slaughter them in the bush before taking away the meat.
Locals had incurred heavy losses in the past six months, they said.
"Rustlers have looted many of our animals that we depend on to educate our children," said Ms Regina Wanjiru, who lost a bull and a cow to the rustlers.
Ms Wanjiru said she was left suffering after her animals were all stolen and slaughtered just a few metres from her home.
"We usually wake up in the morning and find our animals missing from the sheds. We are very bitter because of what has been happening in our village," Ms Wanjiru added.
"Some of us have been reduced to paupers and it is good some of the rustlers have been taught a lesson," said Ms Wanjiru.
Residents said they decided to take the law into their own hands as their efforts to have the rustlers tracked down and arrested had fallen on deaf ears.
"We have been reporting cases of livestock thefts to the police but no action has been taken against the culprits, and that is why we have taken up arms to defend our animals," another resident said.
The chief confirmed that there had been rampant thefts of animals belonging to residents across Murinduko location.
"It is true residents have been losing their animals to the rustlers but police were trying to bring the culprits to book," he said.
Mwea East sub-county police boss Daniel Kitavi said the killings of the suspects were being investigated.
He advised residents to hand over suspects to the police for questioning and prosecution instead of killing them.
"It is a criminal offence punishable by law to kill suspects," he said.
