Police in Nyamira South subcounty fired tear gas to disperse a mob trying to lynch a bar owner they said had a hand in the murder of his watchman.
The watchman who was stabbed and bled to death was found on a bed in one of the far's rooms.
The owner of Metro Bar in Kebirigo town, Michael Karanja, was also attacked and robbed by a gang that took money, mobile phones and alcohol.
County Commissioner Amos Mariba said three men posing as customers entered the bar and took drinks for 30 minutes before turning on the owner, stabbing and robbing him.
Injured and bleeding profusely, Karanja collapsed. The gang then killed the security guard, dragged him inside and laid him on one of the beds in the bar's private rooms.
“After they had left, Karanja called for help from his neighbours to find his security guard who was nowhere to be seen on Sunday night.
"He was later found dead on one of the beds in a separate room," Mariba said in a statement. The body bore deep wounds that probably caused him to bleed to death, Mariba said.
Police from Nyamira police station had trouble rescuing Karanja from residents who wanted to lynch him, accusing him of having a hand in the death of his security guard.
“While processing and documenting the scene, irate members of the public were rowdy and started pelting stones at the police," Mariba said.
Police called or backup and were forced to use tear gas and gunfire to disperse the crowd and prevent a fracas and lynching in the town, he said.
The body was taken to Kinara Hospital Mortuary for an autopsy.
(Edited by V. Graham)
