Crime scene: the star illustratorA man accused of stealing livestock was burned to death by a mob on Friday in Gathigi‑ini village, Murinduko location, Kirinyaga County.
The man, estimated to be about 35 years old, was lynched by an angry group of residents before they fled the scene, police said.
According to authorities, the man was allegedly a notorious suspect linked to cattle theft in the area.
An assistant chief confirmed that when residents spotted him on Friday, they descended on him and set him ablaze. By the time police arrived, the man had been burned beyond recognition.
Police said no arrests have been made so far.
Crime scene investigators from the Kerugoya Police Station processed the scene and conducted necessary investigations before moving the body to the Kerugoya County Referral Hospital mortuary, where it awaits a post‑mortem examination and formal identification.
The brutal incident is the latest in a rising wave of mob attacks across Kenya, prompting calls for an end to vigilante killings and a shift towards due process.
On June 17, two men were stoned to death and set on fire after a botched mobile phone robbery in Parklands, Nairobi.
Police said three men on a motorcycle had snatched a phone from a woman, triggering an alarm that drew other riders to join the chase.
The rider sped away, but the two pillion passengers were cornered, beaten, and burned.
In another attack on June 16, two men were lynched and their bodies set ablaze in Dandora, Nairobi, while allegedly riding a motorcycle.
And in Kileleshwa, along Rhapta‑Church Road, a man posing as a Nairobi County enforcement officer was also lynched.
The man, along with accomplices, had arrived on a motorcycle and attempted to extort vendors before being exposed.
A mob quickly descended, beating one suspect to death and burning the body. A second man was rescued and taken to a hospital.
These incidents highlight a disturbing trend of mob violence across the country, as calls intensify for the public to surrender suspects to authorities instead of resorting to brutal vigilante justice.
