KIRINYAGA, Kenya, Apr 13 – Residents of Kirinyaga district on Monday killed two more people suspected to be Mungiki sect members, bringing the number of those killed to six since Saturday.
Angry residents stoned the two suspects to death and threw one of the bodies in a river and another in a coffee plantation.
“One of the bodies which was badly mutilated was recovered in Rundu River while another was found in a tea farm in Kangware village,” a police officer said.
One of the suspects hails from Kagumo village where high tension was reported on Monday.
Police have warned residents not to take the law into their hands by lynching suspects and instead present them to the authorities.
But residents of Kirinyaga district have maintained they will not surrender the suspects to the police because whenever they are arrested, they pay their way out and continue harassing them.
Three other suspects were lynched on Saturday in the area and another one on Sunday.
The three bodies were found dumped at Kiawaruguru, Kiamaina and Muragara villages. The fourth man was killed on Sunday.
According to police, traders were mainly involved in the killings.
“They are the most affected because they often complain of being extorted by the illegal sect members,” area deputy police chief Patrick Oduma said.
On Monday, a house belonging to a suspected Mungiki sect member was set ablaze after residents failed to trace the owner who was said to be a notorious extortionist.
“We understand the suspect was not at home, when the angry mob descended on the house and burnt it,” he added.
Kirinyaga OCPD Herbert Khaemba said he has intensified security patrols in the area to avert more incidents of that nature.
“We have told residents here not to panic, because we are out to protect them. They should not fear coming to us to report whenever they are harassed by Mungiki members. But then we still don’t want them to burn suspects,” he said.
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