Angry villagers confronts armed robbers, lynch two in Tharaka-Nithi County

Angry and daring residents of Gikingo Village in Tharaka-Nithi  confronted and accosted three armed robbers, who had stolen money from a trader and injured a pupil, and lynched two of them. The gang had attacked Ms Virginia Mumbi while she was riding on a motorbike on her way to Kathangacinoi market to buy cereals.
They ordered the woman and the boda boda rider to lie down and when they refused they started slashing them with a panga. Cries from the victims attracted villagers who rushed to their rescue. The suspects opened fire and shot the three-year-old pupil in the leg. The angry residents, however, managed to corner two of the suspects and stoned them to death while the third one escaped.

“We pursued the suspects for more than three kilometres as they shot at us. “However, when they ran out of bullets we descended on them,” a resident, Mr John Muthengi said. Police recovered a gun, a panga, a knife and Sh600,000 from the suspects. The woman and the boda boda rider were taken to Kathangacini Hospital for treatment while the suspects’ bodies were taken to Meru General Hospital mortuary.

Tharaka-Nithi County Police Commander Johnstone Ipara said the suspects were members of a gang that has been terrorising residents. “A person was shot dead in the same area recently and we suspect it is the same gun that was used,” Mr Ipara said. He said police were working with public to identify suspected criminals. Mr Ipara added that the gun brings to two those recovered in the area in the recent past. He thanked locals for cooperating with police to weed out criminals.