Police in Vihiga and Kakamega counties are investigating two brutal mob attacks reported on Tuesday, September 16, exposing a surge in vigilante violence.
In Vihiga County, Hamisi Sub-County officers found the body of a 30-year-old man early Tuesday at Jepses village.
According to a police report, Assistant Chief Linet Kome alerted officers at 8 am after spotting the body by the roadside.
Investigations revealed that the man had allegedly stolen “a hen with several chicks,” sparking a deadly pursuit by residents.
His father, Timothy, described the deceased as “an habitual thief” who lived alone after driving away his wife and children.
Police said the body, which bore “visible blunt injuries,” was taken to Vihiga County Funeral Home for an autopsy. Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Hamisi are handling the case.
Later the same morning, violence erupted in Kakamega County’s Matungu Sub-County. Around 11 am, a mob of nearly 1,000 boda boda riders and residents stormed the home of a man in Harambee township.
Police reports say the suspect is “believed to be a very notorious criminal of stealing motorcycles and stock.”
The attackers torched the house, causing extensive damage and destroying property of unknown value.
During the chaos, Joseph Ouma Masinde, a 20-year-old employee of the suspect, was beaten before officers rescued him. He was rushed to Bungoma County Referral Hospital for treatment.
Authorities say the “extent of the damage and value of property is yet to be established,” and the case remains under investigation.
Both incidents underscore the dangers of mob justice, which continues to challenge law enforcement in western Kenya. Police have urged residents to report crime through proper channels and avoid taking the law into their own hands.
The cases remain “pending under investigation,” with local police and the DCI pursuing leads in the violent attacks.
