Kakamega, Kenya: A family in Mauna village of Butere constituency in Kakamega County is counting losses after five houses were torched by boda boda operators in what appeared to be a revenge mission.
The alleged theft of a motorbike by a suspect only referred to as Mwala was said to have sparked off the incident.
Butere OCPD Josephine Ngetich confirmed the attack and explained that a businessman had reported the loss of his motorcycle on Tuesday.
She said following investigations, the boda boda operators found the motorcycle in the suspect’s house and began burning the buildings in the compound.
“The incident occurred at around 7pm in Marama Central. The public decided to burn the suspect’s parents’ house together with five other structures,” said Ngetich.
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MOTORCYCLE PARTS
She said the suspect was still at large and police had launched investigations into his whereabouts.
Edna Okiya, the owner of the home, said unknown people came to her home and burnt down her houses for allegedly harbouring a thief.
She said the suspect visited her home and left a sack, promising to come back for it.
“Some men came on motorbikes and asked me if I had seen the suspect. I told them he was not here, but that he had left his luggage,” she explained.
She said the suspect does not live in her home, she knew him only as a neighbour.
According to James Ndinya, a boda boda rider in Sabatia shopping centre, the motorcycle owner was told that the suspect had been seen with the stolen motorcycle.
“When they found the parts, they called others, who came and started destroying property before setting the houses ablaze,” he said.
Ndinya said the man has been suspected of being a thief for a long time.
Stolen bicycles, electronic equipment and people’s clothes were also found in the house.
