Four killed in war against crime in Nairobi

The fourth suspect was lynched in Kiambu town in another botched robbery. According to police, the suspect had tried to snatch a motorbike from a rider when the alarm was raised.PHOTO: COURTESY

Four suspected thugs were over the weekend killed in separate incidents in the war against crime in Nairobi.

One was shot dead in Buru Buru, another in Kibera and a third in Huruma on the Saturday night.

Police said they recovered pistols from the Buru Buru and Kibera incidents, and efforts to establish where they had been used to commit crimes were ongoing.

Nairobi police boss Japheth Koome said all the suspects were killed in botched robberies on pedestrians.

The fourth suspect was lynched in Kiambu town in another botched robbery. According to police, the suspect had tried to snatch a motorbike from a rider when the alarm was raised.

Other riders chased and caught up with him before they stoned him to death.

Cases of lynching have been on the rise in what authorities term a reaction from unsatisfied members of the public.

On Wednesday, two men were lynched in a botched robbery in Buru Buru. The men had broken into a residential building and stabbed an 18-year-old boy. Police said the boy had tried to confront them, which prompted the stabbing.

Mr Koome said the boy was stabbed three times in the head but he survived.

"As the group was escaping, the alarm was raised and a mob attacked the two suspects with stones, killing them. We don't encourage mob lynching," said Koome.

Police have called on the public to help them arrest crime suspects so they can help with investigations.