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Villagers lynch policeman as insecurity rises in Ndhiwa

Friday, May 8th, 2020 00:00 | By
A police officer confronts a man when implementing the curfew. Photo/File

Cases of insecurity in the country continue to increase with the latest incident involving a police officer, who was beaten to death by the public in Kalwal village, Ndhiwa Sub-county on Wednesday for allegedly conspiring with a suspected criminal.

The slain officer, Felix Yegon, attached to Kobama Police Post in Kwabwai was stoned to death by a mob who accused him of working in cahoots with a criminal gang that has been terrorising them.

Yegon was in the company of his colleague William Ngeiywa and a man whom the villagers claimed was a known criminal. 

The other policeman escaped death narrowly after he hid in one of the homesteads. The officers were in civilian clothes when the incident occurred.

According to eyewitnesses, the residents were looking for the suspected criminal who was in the company of the officers after he was accused of attacking and seriously injuring a woman with a machete recently.

Homa Bay county police commander Esther Seroney said investigations had been launched into the incident. 

She added that police are looking for the man who was in the company of the two officers to help with investigations.

The body of the slain officer was taken to Homa Bay hospital mortuary.

In Kisii county, four suspected gang members said to be behind frequent incidents of cattle theft in the county have been lynched.

The four were set ablaze by angry members of the public after they were cornered as they drove away three cows along the boundary between Bobasi and Kisii sub-counties.

 Area police commander Beatrice Kigaru  said the recovered cows had been stolen from the homesteads of Josephine Oiko and Tom Obonyo.

She said the residents raised the alarm after the theft, gave chase, and caught up with a suspect and recovered the animals.

Protect property

Upon interrogation, the suspect led the residents to his accomplices.  

“Police arrived at the scene but found the four had already been lynched and their bodies set ablaze by a mob of more than 30 people,” she said.

Kigaru said police were investigating the matter.

The bodies were moved to Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital to be identify by relatives. 

Residents decried rising cases of criminal activities that include burglary, theft of cattle, poultry and household items during the dusk-to-dawn curfew period.

Led by Andrew Nyang’ate and Benjamin Makori, the residents faulted police in the area for failing to protect them and their property. 

“Cases of burglary, cattle and poultry theft have been on an alarming increase since the government declared a 7pm to 5am curfew and whenever we report the matter to the police, no action is taken,” said Nyang’ate.

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