Four suspected cattle rustlers burnt alive in Kirinyaga

Kirinyaga, Kenya: Four suspected cattle rustlers have been burnt alive at Rukanga village Kirinyaga County after a three hour dramatic chase by area residents.

The four were cornered after one Kariuki who has two highly priced bullocks raised an alarm when the rustlers struck his homestead at 3 am yesterday.

Enraged residents then woke up to answer Kariuki's distress call and chased the suspects who were riding a motorcycle.

Witnesses said all the roads and footpaths leading into the village were blocked by the residents who had been angered by the suspects repeated theft of their livestock.

''Two weeks ago we suspect the same gang attempted to steal Kariuki's bulls but upon raising an alarm, they fled in different directions and left the animals,'' said John Mwangi.

Mwangi said during the dawn incident, the hooded suspects were chases all over the village but remained elusive until 6am when they were cornered about three kilometers away.

He said due to the anger, the residents set upon the suspects and set them ablaze including their motorbike reducing them to ashes.

''The furious and angry residents repulsed some Administration Policemen who attempted to stop them from administering the ritual'', Mwangi said.

By the time reinforcement arrived from Sagana police station, the suspects were all in ashes and they only managed to collect a few pieces of human flesh from the scene.

The residents claimed the suspects were known notorious criminals who are involved in cattle rustling and theft of other domestic animals at the village

Two of the suspects were positively youths from Kibingoti market, along the Sagana-Karatina road after their national identity cards were removed from their pockets before the bodies were doused with petrol and enforced with car tyres.

Police officers at the scene declined to talk to the press although everything was in black and white for everyone to see.