Two middle-aged-men who are closely related were on Wednesday night lynched by fellow Villagers at Kikapu Market Centre in Njoro sub-county after they were found in possession of two stolen cows.
According to Njoro Police Boss Patrick Lai, the suspects identified as Peter Wambugu and Joel Karanja were nabbed by the owner of the cows who had traced his livestock to their residence after carrying out investigations for several days.
Lai while briefing this writer in his office on Thursday said that the cows’ owner had mobilised other residents to storm the home of the man and his uncle after carrying out investigations that had revealed that the two were holding the animals at a secret structure within the compound while still searching for buyers.
The two had on several occasions been suspected to be involved in livestock theft and had been warned by local Assistant Chief Norman Kahiga and Village elders to desist from the crimes.
They were holding the stolen cows at an abandoned building in their compound probably waiting to transport them out after securing a market for them. The owner had been told that the two had been spotted buying animal feeds from a local Agrovet shop yet they did not own any livestock.
“The owner of the cows who was accompanied by the area Assistant Chief mobilised other residents to arrest the suspects before they showed them where the cows were being hidden,” said Lai.
Lai said the Assistant Chief Kahiga had unsuccessfully pleaded with the residents not to take the law into their own hands as they beat up the relatives while frog matching them to the business centres before setting them ablaze.
He said Police collected the charred bodies and took them to Nakuru County General Hospital after recording statements from the Asst. Chief, the cows’ owners and other relatives of the lynched suspects.