Two escape mob justice for stealing cows

By ANTONY GITONGA

Two meat traders narrowly escaped death as an angry mob attacked them at Kikopey, near Gilgil town.

The traders were transporting beef suspected to be from stolen cows.

Four incidents of livestock theft have been reported locally in the last two months.

The two were suspected to be behind a syndicate where animals are stolen, slaughtered and then ferried to Nairobi for sale.

The angry mob set ablaze two meat vans that were packed with four carcasses of the animals.

The four dairy cattle worth more than Sh300,000 were stolen from Royal Girls’ High School in Lanet. Their carcasses were found at the shores of Lake Elementaita.

The school’s administration said the students depended on the cattle for milk.

Paul Retomo, a night guard at the school, said he heard a commotion at night and on checking found six men slaughtering the animals.

"I went close and they even offered me meat, but on learning they had stolen the animals, I called my colleagues," said Retomo.

The suspects escaped with spear wounds inflicted by the guards.

Herders said they resorted to burning the vehicles after they learnt that police released a lorry nabbed transporting stolen animals last month.

The group later torched the suspects’ cars, which had parts of the animals being ferried to Nairobi.

The cows’ owner Martha Wanjiku said the suspects had left behind one sick cow.