This archive report was first published on 6 July 2019.
On Saturday morning, a group of residents in Cheboin sub-location, Bomet East, took matters into their own hands after getting wind of a planned robbery. The suspects, who were armed with crude weapons and tools, were engaged in a cat and mouse chase by the public before being apprehended at Miti Mingi village.
According to residents, the suspects had been terrorizing the community for a long time and were planning to rob a home in the village. They were interrogated by the public, who claimed that the suspects revealed they were part of a gang involved in burglary cases in the area.
However, the suspects' plea for leniency fell on deaf ears, and they were beaten up by the mob before being set ablaze. The charred bodies of the two suspects were later taken to Longisa County Hospital mortuary.
Bomet County police commander Naomi Ichami cautioned the public against taking the law into their hands, urging them to volunteer information to the police to enable them to investigate and take action on suspects according to the law.
Ichami's warning comes a day after a high-level security meeting in Bomet, where the regional security team addressed rising cases of insecurity in the region. The team, led by Rift Valley Police Commandant Edward Mwamburi, vowed to take action against suspects and root out vices in the area.
