A man burned a relative's cow after he was denied a cup of milk in Bomwagamo, Nyamira County.
Nyambiri assistant chief Peter Oyange said the assailant later surrendered to the police and confessed to burning the lactating cow in the shed after being denied a cup of milk. The cow died in the inferno.
Mr Oyange is said to have executed the awful incident at around 4am on Tuesday while the owners were asleep.
It is yet to be established what charges police plan to charge the suspect with.
Nyamira County Commissioner Amos Mariba said there are concerns over rising cases of substance abuse among the youth that has contributed to an increase in cases of lawlessness in the county.
"We suspect such incidences could be linked to substance abuse among young people. Our fight against the vice is a notch higher and we hope to bring the situation under control," Mariba said.
This is the second incident involving the maiming or killing of animals to happen in the area within a period of less than two months.
In March, an unknown person moved into an elderly woman's homestead and slashed her pregnant heifer’s hind legs, rendering it immobile.
Songwae@standardmedia.co.ke
