Two lynched in Machakos for cattle theft
Two cattle thieves were beaten and their bodies burnt on Saturday morning when they were caught slaughtering five stolen cattle in Machakos.
They were killed in Masokani village in Koma, Matungulu subcounty.
The two faced a mob as they were trying to escape after a boda boda rider spotted them in the bush and called for help.
Three other suspects escaped.
Resident Wambua Ndeti said thefts and slaughter have been occurring every Tuesday and Friday and blamed police negligence.
Enraged residents said they took law into their own hands, roughed up the thieves and set them ablaze.
Police from KBC station stormed the village but most people were gone.
Matungulu subcounty police commander Wilmot Mwakio told the Star on the phone the bodies were taken to Kangundo Level 3 Mortuary.
He said the police suspect the livestock were stolen from Matuu in Kathiani subcounty. He urged residents to be extra vigilant and protective of their animals.
“We suspect the cattle were stolen in Matuu bordering Matungulu early this morning and taken here for slaughter. A boda boda rider raised alarm and residents took justice into their own hands.
He said three men escaped.
In January this year, DCI detectives from Machakos and officers from the Crime Prevention Unit in Nairobi arrested three suspects for stealing and slaughtering cattle in Machakos county.
The suspects include a prominent meat trader at Burma Market in Nairobi. They are believed to be linked to a syndicate of cattle thieves around the country.
Former Yatta MP Francis Mwangangi urged the county security team to up its game and end the cattle thefts.
“I want the county police commander and county commissioner to check the crime wave that has escalated greatly. We have seen people being killed but this was not happening with the previous commander," he said.
He said a man’s body was found on Tuesday afternoon stuck in a water tank serving several government offices in Machakos town.
The water tank serves the Teachers Service Commission, the Children's Department, Social Development Office and the National Council for Persons with Disabilities.
The decomposing body was pulled from the 10,000-litre tank in early afternoon.

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