A mobile phone snatcher on a motorbike escaped death by a whisker after a mob justice beating in Westlands, Nairobi, on Friday evening.
In what would mark the end of his 40 days, the rider attempted to escape after snatching a phone from a motorist but was blocked and knocked down by a truck driver just outside Kenrail House.
Screams of “mwizi mwizi!” raised the attention of other riders who responded immediately, chasing him down Ring Road Parklands.
The riders and other traders caught up with him and descended on him with blows and kicks. Some riders even used pliers on his ears.
On questioning him, the suspected thief said he is from South B.
This further infuriated the riders, who mercilessly beat him up, at some point asking for petrol to set him ablaze.
Luckily, an officer in AP uniform responded and fired once in the air. He called for back up and within no time, plainclothes officers were at the scene.
“These are the people who are soiling our name here in Westlands. He came all the way from South B to steal here,” a rider told one of the cops.
A vehicle from Parklands police station arrived and took the suspect away with his motorbike, which had already been destroyed by the angry mob.
Motorbikes have been blamed for the increase in crimes cases, and have been banned in most high-end estates and malls.
A 2019 report by the National Crime Research Centre revealed that gangs have infiltrated boda boda transport subsector and are “killing, maiming, kidnapping, raping and robbing innocent people.”
The state agency under Interior ministry conducted the study in 24 counties.
It reported that armed robberies at M-Pesa shops, shopping malls and in the estates are now carried out by gangs on motorbikes.
It recommended mandatory registration of the riders, regulation and effective oversight of the industry to contain it from further infiltration.
The report also accused boda boda riders of being a law unto themselves and engaging in lynching of suspected criminals.
