At least two suspects were attacked and lynched by a mob in a botched cattle rustling incident in Mwea, Kirinyaga County.
The area has
been experiencing a rise in cases of cattle rustling, prompting herders to keep
vigil overnight.
The locals joined
a police operation targeting the cartel behind the trend.
Police said the
lynching happened on Sunday, August 31, in the Murubara area.
The men were
found with two knives, police said.
The villagers stoned them to death and set the bodies on fire.
Police arrived there and moved the bodies to
the mortuary.
Cases of stealing of livestock theft have been on the rise in the area amid calls for action to address the menace.
Most livestock are stolen at night and slaughtered before being
sold to unsuspecting butchery dealers.
Police said they are
extending the operation to other places, including Nairobi, which is the biggest
consumer of such livestock.
The incidents have
led to huge losses for farmers in the areas.
This came as police launched a
major hunt for gangs behind the trend of cattle rustling in the region.
Detectives arrested
12 individuals in connection with a series of livestock theft incidents that
have significantly affected the Central and Eastern regions.
These thefts have resulted in substantial financial losses for farmers and have disrupted their primary source of livelihood.
Following a thorough interrogation, three of the suspects
confessed to having stolen a cow in Kerugoya the previous day, which they later
slaughtered, police said.
They subsequently transported the carcass to Embu, where it was sold.
The sleuths further recovered a Toyota Probox, which was found to have been used by the suspects to transport the meat. While in Embu, investigators arrested the proprietor of a butchery, who was found to have purchased 119 kilograms of meat from the aforementioned suspects.
In a bid to establish the full extent of the suspects’ activities, detectives traced the owner of the stolen cow.
Upon
reviewing CCTV footage, the suspects were positively identified in the act of
committing the crime.
Further interrogations led to the discovery of
an open field believed to have been used for the slaughter.
At the scene, investigators recovered animal intestines and a blood-stained rope, both of which are now part of the ongoing forensic analysis.
Elsewhere in Othaya, Nyeri County, police
are looking for a gang that raided a wines and spirits shop and stole
Sh210,000, six mobile phones, a CCTV DVR machine and alcoholic drinks.
The gang broke
into the shop on Sunday night, before grabbing the cash and valuables and
escaping.
Police said they are investigating the matter.
