Two boda boda operators killed in apparent mob justice

Two boda boda operators accused of being involved in a series of violent robberies have been killed by their colleagues in Kirinyaga County.

The two were flushed out of their houses in Ngurubani town on Sunday and hacked to death.

Two other operators escaped the mob's wrath after they slipped away during the melee and fled through the rice fields with the mob in hot pursuit.

The operators were asleep when their colleagues forced their way into the houses and dragged them out.

They set upon the four suspects with axes, pangas and stones, killing two of them on the spot.

Police arrived shortly after the killings and took the bodies of the operators to the mortuary. The officers warned the operators against killing suspects, adding that investigations into incident were under way.

Witnesses said the killings were well planned and executed. "The two young men were caught unawares and eliminated in cold blood," said a witness, Peter Murungaru.

The two were accused of colluding with a gang that had been attacking and robbing riders in the area.

In an interview with the Nation, the operators said they were tired of constant attacks by gangsters.

"Our colleagues have been maimed and others killed. Their property has also been stolen. When we investigated we established that four of our own were involved and we had to act fast before we are all killed," an operator said.

A resident, Jeremiah Nyaga, agreed with the operators that insecurity was on the rise in the area.

"Traders and residents are living in fear. Residents going home in the evening after shopping have been attacked and robbed," said Mr Nyaga.

Residents said the operators took the law into their own hands after their pleas to have the gang tamed by police officers fell on deaf ears.

"What is so annoying is that traders, residents and operators are attacked when police are on night patrol," said Mr Nyaga.