Residents of Mwaro Village in Uika Location on Wednesday morning lynched a man suspected to have stolen some farm produce from one of the homesteads in the area on Monday.
The 31-year-old suspect was subjected to mob justice after he was allegedly found with the stolen produce in his kitchen.
Area OCS David Terer confirmed that the mob, after beating the suspect, set him on fire and left him to die before the police arrived at the scene only to find the remains of the body.
He added that the deceased had been taken to court and released several times and the residents, in collaboration with the police, have been pursuing him before he was caught.
“It seems when the public stumbled upon him and they decided to take law into their hands. We have been pursuing him but they caught him without our knowledge and lynched him,” said the OCS.
Terer, however, condemned that act and urged the public to let the police do their job.
“The public should restrain themselves especially when dealing with cases like these. They should report the matter to the police because sometimes innocent people may be killed. We are not against public fighting insecurity and crime but we have to follow the law," he added.
He said the suspect should be handed over to the police to carry out their investigations, which may lead to revelation of other criminals.
The remains were taken to Yatta Level Four mortuary.