A man suspected to be mentally ill slashed a farm worker on Sunday and hacked another to death with a panga on Monday in Kajiado county.
Kajiado South police commander Kiprop Ruto said the attacks occurred on a tomato farm near Kimana town.
The unidentified man, Ruto said, went to the farm at around 6pm on Sunday asking for employment. Because it was late, the farm owner told him to sleep with other workers so he could be considered the next day.
“At around 8pm, the man, who was carrying his panga, attacked a worker with it before escaping into the darkness,” Ruto said.
The injured man, a Tanzanian, was taken to hospital in Arusha at night and his condition was stable.
The police commander said the attacker returned to the farm on Monday afternoon and fatally attacked another worker with the same weapon.
The worker was pronounced dead on arrival at Loitokitok Subcounty Hospital, he said.
“After the attack, workers from the various farms in Kimana tracked the attacker into the bushes and the mob killed him,” Ruto said.
The attacker’s body was moved to the Loitokitok Hospital mortuary. Police appealed to the public to provide information on the man to help identify him. He said he was believed to be mentally ill.
“This an unfortunate incident happened before our officers reached the scene,” Ruto said.
(Edited by V. Graham)