Two suspected livestock thieves were on Saturday morning lynched and their bodies set ablaze by irate residents of Gakonya village, Kiharu, Murang'a County.
Villagers stumbled on the suspects at dawn ferrying four cows in a lorry. The cows are believed to have been stolen.
The villagers confronted the suspects who took off in different directions. However, the villagers gave chase, cornered and pounced on the suspects with crude weapons.
They set on the suspects with machetes and rungus, accusing them of being part of a well-organised gang that has been stealing cows and goats and slaughtering them for sale to unscrupulous butchers in Kiambu, Murang'a and Nairobi.
Officers from Murang'a Police Station and the county fire brigade rushed to the scene but found the victims already dead. The bodies of the two suspects had been burnt beyond recognition.
The cattle that were reportedly stolen in Gakonya village, Murang'a County. In the background is the charred shell of the lorry in which the cattle were being ferried.
Photo credit: Martin Mwaura | Nation Media Group
The charred remains of the suspects were taken to Murang’a County mortuary but are yet to be identified.
Confirming the incident, Murang’a East Sub-county police boss Mary Wakuu said investigations into the matter have already commenced.
“We first want to identify the owner of the lorry and the driver. I also appeal to the residents to volunteer information since no criminal can come from nowhere to steal in an area he has no information about. It means there are bad elements among the residents who are working with the thieves," Ms Wakuu said.
However, the villagers vowed to continue hunting down cattle thieves.
One resident said they have lately been forced to stay awake at night to protect their properties and animals.
"We keep vigil at night because of escalating insecurity and livestock theft in Kandundu, Kabuta and Gakonya areas. We have suffered for long," he said.
A police officer attempts to put out fire on a lorry which was intercepted while ferrying cattle that had been reportedly stolen in Gakonya village, Murang'a County.
Photo credit: Martin Mwaura | Nation Media Group
Susan Wanjiku, whose cow was among those recovered, recounted her cattle was stolen.
"I heard my dogs barking and when I went out I noticed my cow was not in the shed. I raised an alarm and villagers were mobilised to hunt down the thieves," she said.
The residents said they decided to take the law into their own hands since the authorities have failed to deal with the situation.
"We have been reporting cases of livestock theft to the police but no action is taken against the culprits. That is why we have taken up arms to defend our property," said one resident.
Francis Manyeki, the chairman of a local slaughterhouse, said they recently lost 14 cows after thieves raided the slaughterhouse.
"We are also victims but we cannot entirely blame the police because they have been making efforts to bring the culprits to book," he said.
