In an unfortunate turn of events, two suspected livestock thieves met a violent end at the hands of enraged residents in separate incidents in Kirinyaga Central and Mwea Sub-Counties.

In Kanjinji village, Mwea East, a suspected goat thief met a gruesome fate when angry villagers apprehended him and set him ablaze.

The suspect, who owned a butchery in the area, had allegedly stolen a goat belonging to Stanley Magu and slaughtered it in front of Magu’s young children, aged 5 and 4 years old.

The children’s cries for help alerted the residents, who quickly mobilized and confronted the suspect. Despite the efforts of a police officer stationed at a nearby post to calm the situation, the residents refused to back down and meted out their own form of justice.

In a similar incident in Kirinyaga Central, at Kiranja, Kangaita village, residents set a vehicle on fire with a suspect accused of stealing a cow inside.

The cow belonged to Godfrey Muchiri, who discovered it was missing from his shed early in the morning. Muchiri, an elderly man, claimed he did not hear the thieves breaking in and was alerted by the residents at around 3 a.m.

Confirming the incidents, Mwea East Sub-County police boss Patrick Nyaanga said the livestock had been stolen from Kimuri village. He urged residents to refrain from taking the law into their own hands and emphasized the importance of allowing the authorities to handle such cases.

The charred remains of the suspects were taken to Kerugoya hospital mortuary.