This archive report was first published on 8 May 2020.
On Wednesday, May 6, 2020, a police officer was killed in a mob attack in Homa Bay County. Felix Yegon, a constable attached to Kobama police station, was helping a husband retrieve his estranged wife from her aunt's home.
The husband, who had separated from his wife one month prior, had reported to the police station with a letter from the Assistant Chief requesting assistance in retrieving his wife. The police officers, including Yegon and another officer, went to the home on two motorcycles, but were met with hostility from the villagers.
Residents, who were aware of a previous assault case involving the husband and the wife's aunt, suspected that the husband was on another mission to assault his wife's aunt. They attacked the three men with sharp and blunt weapons, overpowering the officers and killing Yegon.
According to Ndhiwa sub-County Police Commander Robert Aboki, Yegon fired bullets in the air to disperse the mob, but was eventually beaten to death. The mob then set fire to the two motorbikes used by the officers.
Aboki stated that investigations have been launched to bring the suspects to book and urged citizens against taking the law into their own hands.
