Mob kills Kisumu street boy suspected of stealing phone
A crowd gathers around the body of a suspected phone thief who was stoned to death by angry residents in Kisumu on August 9, 2018. This is the second lynching in two days of a suspected thief. PHOTO | ELIZABETH OJINA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The mob lynched a street boy suspected of stealing a mobile phone along the Kisumu-Kakamega highway.
- This comes barely two days after another suspected thief was lynched near Kisumu’s Polyview Estate.
- Benard Kakai said that the suspect stole the items at 3.30am before jumping over the balcony.
An irate mob in Kisumu has killed yet another suspected thief in what may signal a growing trend of moblynching.
On Thursday morning, the mob lynched a street boy suspected of stealing a mobile phone along the Kisumu-Kakamega highway.
Kevin Otieno, a witness, told Nation.co.ke that residents caught up with the street boy as he fled with the mobile phone.
“It was around 5am. They started beating him with stones all the way from the other side of the road to here,” said Mr Otieno.
LYNCHED
This incident comes barely two days after another suspected thief was lynched near Kisumu’s Polyview Estate.
According to witnesses, the thief broke into one of the houses in Polyview Estate and stole a laptop and two mobile phones.
Benard Kakai said that the suspect stole the items at 3.30am before jumping over the balcony.
“I was watching movies. I heard my sister screaming that somebody had broken in. We caught up with him and recovered the items,” said Mr Kakai.
The neighbours who heard the commotion responded immediately. The thief was smoked out of his hiding place by the irate residents.
The angry residents confronted the man and beat him up in a bid to force him to disclose the whereabouts of a missing handbag before setting him on fire.
TERROR GANG
The residents suspect that the man was part of a gang that has been terrorising them for a long time.
They are now calling on the police to intensify night patrols in the area to curb the rising crime rate.
Kisumu County Police Commander Job Boronjo warned residents against taking the law into their hands.
“Residents should refrain from killing suspects. We are warning against mob justice. Let the police do their work,” said Mr Boronjo.
The body of the suspected thief was take to Jaramogi Odinga Oginga Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary.
