Three men, including a father, his son and son-in-law, were brutally killed by a mob in Mimera area, Mukaa Sub-County, Makueni County, after they were allegedly caught stealing livestock.
The incident occurred on Friday, January 30, after residents reportedly intercepted the suspects while they were transporting two stolen cows.
According to eyewitness accounts, the three were among a group of five men suspected to be involved in the theft.
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Angered by the incident, villagers descended on the suspects and subjected them to a violent assault. The mob attack left three men dead, after which their bodies were set ablaze at the scene.
A fourth suspect sustained serious injuries during the attack and was left in critical condition, while a fifth accomplice managed to escape amid the chaos.
By the time police arrived, the three victims had already succumbed to their injuries.
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement regarding the killings, and it remains unclear whether any arrests have been made in connection with the mob justice incident.
Similar Incident in Kericho
The killings come barely two weeks after a similar mob justice incident in Yakuai village, Bureti Constituency, Kericho County, where three suspected livestock thieves were killed by residents angered by persistent cattle theft in the area.
In the Kericho incident, which occurred in the early hours of a Sunday morning, residents reportedly confronted a group of suspects accused of terrorizing the community through repeated livestock thefts.
Two suspects were beaten to death and their remains set on fire, while a woman who attempted to intervene—claiming one of the suspects was her brother—was also attacked and killed by the mob.
The suspects had allegedly been intercepted at around 3 a.m. while transporting stolen livestock in a lorry, which was later set ablaze by the angry residents.
Following the killings, the mob stormed the homes of the suspected thieves, torching two houses and demolishing another concrete structure that was nearing completion.
Crops on nearby farms were also destroyed as residents vented their frustration over what they described as worsening insecurity.
Residents in Bureti accused security agencies of failing to curb the rampant livestock theft and called for urgent government intervention to restore security and prevent further loss of life.