Two suspected robbers were lynched by an angry mob after stealing Kshs 500,000 from an M-Pesa shop at Soy trading centre at the border of Kakamega and Uasin Gishu counties.
According to Mrs. Eunice Wachira three men who posed as customers entered her shop at about 9am and threatened her with a toy pistol before making away with the cash.
She said the first suspect pretended he wanted to buy airtime and before she could give him, a second suspect came and asked to withdraw some cash though he claimed he didn’t know how to withdraw.
“He asked me to help him to withdraw but first I declined and told him with the outbreak of the coronavirus we don’t touch customers’ phones but he still insisted I help him,” said Mrs. Wachira.
She said when she took his phone to assist him she realized it had an airtel line and not a safaricom line. Immediately his accomplice brandished a pistol and ordered her to give him all the money she had. “They took Kshs. 500,000 and ran away aboard a motorbike that was waiting for them outside.”
She raised an alarm attracting the attention of locals and boda boda operators who followed and managed to catch the two at Vumilia village. The motorbike rider escaped before the angry mob descended upon the two with all manner of crude weapons, beating them and leaving them unconscious.
They were rescued by police offices from Soy police station and rushed to Likuyani sub county hospital where they succumbed while undergoing treatment.
Confirming the incident, Soy Sub County Police Commander Fanuel Nasio said only Kshs. 41,000 and a toy pistol were recovered from the two.
However he warned residents against taking the law into their hands asking them to instead hand all suspects to police for legal action to be taken against them.
“If they were alive they would have helped us get their accomplices and recover the other money,” said Nasio.
