Residents storm Gachocho police post, kill murder suspect

A screengrab of an angry mob pelting police with stones. [Courtesy]

Police in Murang'a are investigating an incident where a rowdy mob stormed the Gachocho police post and removed a murder suspect from the cells before lynching him.

This came moments after police detained Richard Maina on suspicion of murdering his brother.

Kigumo Sub County Police Commander Nixon Kiprono said police arrested Maina on Tuesday night after the incident.

On Wednesday, Kiprono said the residents stormed the police post and demanded that officers hand over the suspect to them.

"They later resorted to violence pelting the police with stones before they removed the suspect from the cells and beat him to death," he said.

Police fired in the air to disperse the residents but they were adamant that they would only leave after the suspect is handed over to them.

Officers called for reinforcement from nearby police posts but it arrived late after residents had broken into the cells and lynched the suspect.

Maina allegedly fled following an altercation that left his brother Joseph Kibugi dead.

The protesting residents described Kibugi as a staunch Christian and a community leader.

Residents said they were disturbed by the killing of Kibugi in front of his wife Esther Wambui and their children.

Wambui claimed that her two brothers-in-law struck her husband with a jembe and a plank of wood on the head after they warned her not to raise alarm or face dire consequences.

"They hit me on the head and warned me against raising alarm," she said.

Peter Mwangi, a resident, said the brothers have had a long-standing dispute and the two ganged up against Kibugi.

"It is a shame that two brothers conspired to kill their own over issues that could have been resolved amicably," said Mwangi, a resident of Kinyona ward.