A middle-aged woman from Nyasimwamu village was on Tuesday found stealing kales from a neighbour amidst rising scarcity of the commodity in the region.
The lunchtime incident left many villagers puzzled given the position of the woman found stealing - she is a devoted Christian at a local church.
According to the owner, Vane Nyasani, the culprit decided to descend on her farm without consent and had already plucked kales worth about Sh200 which she was likely to sell to consumers who are in dire need of the commodity.
“I have been complaining for the last few days about mysterious reduction of my kales from the farm and that is why I have been suspecting that there is someone behind it. I found her red-handed and she was unable to defend herself since we rarely interact,” Mrs Nyasani said.
It is at this time she blew the whistle to area residents who acted with speed and “apprehended” the suspect for further scrutiny.
“I called people from across the village and they responded rather quickly. She had initially resisted and wanted to run away, but we cornered her,” she added.
The suspected was arraigned before a group of village elders who convicted her of the crime and ordered her to pay the victim Sh1000 as a fine in within two days.
“We have a functional elders' team here and she was brought to us. We have dealt with the case locally since we had evidence," said Albert Ondieki.
"These kinds of acts are rampant, especially at this time [when] the area is experiencing drought.”