Lamu man, 24, lynched over attempted rape

Angry villagers killed a 24-year-old man in Lamu after they allegedly caught him attempting to rape a woman.

The victim, Nyanje Charo, was attacked by the mob at around 8pm on Wednesday in Matondoni village.

Locals who spoke to the Nation said they heard someone scream and responded immediately.

“We found the attacker attempting to rape the woman. He tried to attack us with a panga as we rescued the woman," one of the villagers said.

They claimed the man has previously been involved in robberies in the village.

"He has on several occasions been involved in robbery and rape incidents in this area. He should have been arrested and jailed a long time ago," Mohamed Omar, a local, said.

Lamu County Police Commander Moses Murithi confirmed the incident but was quick to warn members of the public against taking the law into their hands.

"The man forced the lady out of her house and took her to a nearby forest. As he was in the process of removing her clothes, the woman screamed, attracting the attention of villagers.

“They descended on the attacker and slashed him to death with machetes," said Mr Murithi.

The police boss said the woman is hosptialised with deep cuts in her face and limbs.

The body of the man was taken to the King Fahad County Hospital mortuary.