A suspected motorbike thief was lynched by an angry mob while his accomplice was arrested after their attempt to kill a boda boda operator and make away with his motorbike in Likuyani Sub County failed.
According to Mr. Nelson Wekesa, the two asked for his services at Moi’s bridge trading centre and alleged they were going to Soy where they agreed to pay him Kshs. 400.
He said on reaching Matunda town, a saloon car started trailing them and one of the passengers was busy communicating on his phone with a person who he believes was in the car. “When I sped off the car also accelerated and when I slowed down it also slowed too,” said Wekesa.
He became suspicious and when they reached a traffic police roadblock after Nangili trading centre along Kitale–Eldoret road he made known his suspicions. The suspects realised the boda boda operator had noticed their ill intention and told him to divert towards Kipsomba in the neighbouring Uasin Gishu county just a few meters from the roadblock.
However, immediately he diverted from the Eldoret–Kitale road and turned towards Kipsomba road the passengers tried to strangle him but he managed to cry out for help and attracted the attention of traffic officers. One of the officers rushed to the scene and saved him before they could harm him. The officer managed to arrest one of the suspects but the other escaped.
Later the suspect who had escaped went to Kipsomba where he tried to make away with another bike, but other boda boda operators stepped in and beat him to death using crude weapons. The body was removed by police officers from Soy station and taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital Mortuary Eldoret and an investigation into the incident was launched.
