A mob on Tuesday beat to death a man suspected of stealing cattle in Meru County, police said. The mob is currently in pursuit of two others.
A gang of three suspected cattle thieves raided Luiciuti village in Igembe Sub-County in Meru County on Tuesday morning and stole cows.
Residents after learning about the raid raised an alarm in the early hours of Tuesday morning and the chase of the suspects started.
The angry residents continued to hunt for the fled suspected thieves until they landed on one who remains unidentified.
Laare police spokesman Ezra Sambo confirmed the incident.
“We received a report at 5:30 a.m. today that members of the public took the law into their own hands and murdered a suspected cattle thief after a chase. I caution members of the public against taking the law into their own hands, as a suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” said Sambo.
Sambo said that investigations were ongoing to determine whether the suspect was guilty or not.
“Cattle theft is on the rise in Luciuti as a result of the impending drought in the Borana community of Isiolo County. The herders’ cattle are being stolen while grazing in Luciuti. We’ve made a number of arrests and arraigned six suspects in court. I urge cattle owners to keep a close eye on their herds in order to keep them from being stolen,” said Sambo.
The residents claimed they were tired of the escalating cattle theft in their area.
