Tension as Kakamega residents lynch man suspected to have killed pregnant woman and 3-year-old

A pregnant woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed at Sayangwe village in Matungu sub-county, Kakamega on Sunday.

Villagers said a gang of four, armed with machetes and blunt objects, and attacked Petronila Mungayi, 40, her husband and children while they were sleeping in the wee hours of Sunday, killing her on the spot.

The daughter succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment at Matungu sub-county hospital, while her sibling aged nine and their father Stephen Rabuochi are admitted to Kakamega County Referral Hospital with serious injuries.The death brings to 10 the number of people killed by thugs in the same area within one month and 14 in the last two months.Several other people have been maimed during night attacks by the gang.

Tension highTension remains high in the area after residents lynched a man suspected to be a member of the gang. The residents had earlier barricaded the Busia–Bungoma highway protesting increasing insecurity and failure by police to contain the situation. They threatened to storm Harambee police post, accusing the police of laxity.

Addressing the residents, area MP Justus Murunga and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya demanded immediate transfer of all police officers based at Matungu. “We have agreed that all the officers will be replaced by a new team by tomorrow morning,” Mr Oparanya told the residents.

County Commissioner Abdiruzak Jaldesa pledged to intensify police patrols, have long-serving police officers transferred and arrest the killers. “We are following crucial leads that will lead to the arrest of those behind today’s killings,” he said

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