Villagers lynch ex-convict after killing of 5-year-old boy

Angry villagers stoned an ex-convict to death for killing a five-year-old boy.

The incident happened at Muragara village in Tharaka Nithi County on Sunday.

The suspect, Eliud Mwenda Ndubi, who had been released a few weeks ago after serving two years in jail for threatening to kill a villager, was cornered as he tried to escape after slashing the boy with a machete.

The boy's screams attracted the attention of villagers, who rushed to the scene and apprehended the suspect before beating him to death.  

Police said they had yet to establish the motive of the attack on the boy but villagers said Ndubi had been a threat their lives.

They claimed that Ndubi was a known bhang smoker who always threatened to kill at the slightest provocation.

"We have been feeling unsafe since he was released from prison with some of us even afraid to get out of our homes," said Kirimi Magana,

Maara police boss Johnston Kabusia appealed to villagers not to lynch suspects.

He said although residents were expected to accept and accommodate freed convicts, they needed to monitor them and report any strange behaviour to police.

"I am calling on the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands by killing or hurting suspected criminals, but to report to police for action to be taken," said the police boss.

He explained that not all criminals changed their behavior after serving jail terms.

The bodies of the two were taken to the Chuka County Referral Hospital mortuary.