By Peter Ochieng

Eldoret, Kenya: Angry Eldoret residents lynched two suspects on Saturday for allegedly killing two Eldoret Polytechnic students on Friday night.

The bodies of the first and second year students Laban Kipketer Lagat and Newton Koech respectively were discovered in a pool of blood by passers-by at Sosiani River in Kapseret Constituency on their way to work.

The ugly scene immediately attracted a crowd of irate residents who lynched the alleged suspects who had turned up at the scene donning blood stained clothes.

The bodies were disfigured by deep haphazard cuts on the head, stomach and the arms that must have been caused by use of crude weapons like pangas.

This was after a witness reported that a gang of seven men beat the two students as they made their way through the bridge from town back to college at around 11pm.

Titus Lagat, Laban’s brother said: “My brother was attacked by the said mob on his way back to college from town where he had gone after his day’s evening classes.”

He said they learnt of his sudden death after one of the deceased’s friend heading to town broke the sad news after positively identifying Laban.

“The departed who are friends and neighbors spent most of their time at home in Lemook sub-location and were in an unusual jovial mood,” he narrated.

Apparently, a Moi University student also was attacked at night and property stolen at the very spot about a week ago.

The area assistant chief Silvano Melilei confirmed that the two boys were from his location.

“I actually met with the two boys yesterday at the village only to unfortunately learn this morning that they had been killed,” he explained.

Eldoret DCIO Isaac Musyoki who was at the scene said that identification documents found at the scene revealed the deceased were Eldoret Polytechnic students.

He noted that the Polytechnic management had already confirmed that they were their students.

“We are pursuing two cases of a similar nature where Moi University students were attacked last week around River Sosiani. We have so far arrested two suspects and another one today who will be arraigned in court on Monday,” he sais.

He also said the police were actively following leads that would lead to the eventual arrest of all the suspects and urged residents to report to police such cases instead of taking not the law in their lands.

The polytechnic students later followed up with a large protest accompanied by local residents where they blocked the main Eldoret-Kisumu road forcing an address from the County Governor Jackson Mandago.

He appealed to the students to be calm and asked them to allow the police investigate the matter saying that police beef up security in crime prone areas.

Efforts to get comments from the Polytechnic’s Principal did not bear fruits, as he could not be reached through his mobile phone.

The bodies were moved to the Moi Teaching and Referral mortuary.