Police in Kisumu County have called upon locals to hand over cattle rustlers instead of lynching them.
County police commandant, Joseph Keitany, said cattle rustling mainly in Nyakach Sub County will be dealt with if locals cooperate with the police.
Keitany said the police will be able to interrogate suspects to obtain key information that can lead to the arrest of more suspects who have been terrorising locals in the area.
He said once a suspect has been killed by the locals, police are unable to make a breakthrough in the fight against cattle rustling in the region.
“Police officers are trained to carry out investigations and I want to plead with the locals to always hand over suspected cattle rustlers for investigations instead of killing them,” he said.
Keitany spoke after Nyakach residents lynched a suspected cattle rustler last night after he was caught driving away some animals from a home where he had worked as a herder.
He said the deceased who hails from Turkana has been working in the area as a herder but was sent away from the home where he returned to steal the animals.
Keitany said the owner of the animal raised an alarm and the locals responded and caught up with the suspect whom they beat to death.
He advised farmers to know the background of those they are employing as herders.
“I want to advice cattle keepers in the area to always know the background of those they are employing as herders,” he said.