Five suspected robbers were lynched in Koitaburot, Sigowet-Soin Constituency in Kericho after allegedly robbing a Chemilil sacco treasurer of KSh 1.2 million.
This happened on Tuesday, 17th February, moments after the victim, Richard Bala, stepped out of KCB Bank in Muhoroni, Kisumu county after withdrawing the money.
Bala had withdrawn the money to take to the farmers of his Sacco. He is reported to have put the money in his laptop bag and boarded a motorbike.
The suspects reportedly trailed him, and before reaching Kericho, they caught up with him.
He raised the alarm, which alerted the mob to hunt the suspects. The public intercepted the suspects’ vehicle while attempting to flee along the West Valley Sugar Road.
Baying for their blood, the mob stoned the suspects, killing two in Kijiriet village, while three others were pursued and lynched a few metres away in Kibugat village.
The Soin Sigowet Sub-County OCPD, Lawrence Kisini, confirmed the incident and stated that the police had been trailing the suspects since 2025.
“We thank the public for being proactive. They intercepted the vehicle and along the way, three suspects were killed in different locations. Two others were killed at a separate location. We have been trailing them from last year December. They have been attacking people along the Kisumu-Kericho Road. They go through Kapsoit and appear in Muhoroni but as the syaing goes, a thief’s days are numbered,” he said.
The locals added that the gang has been targeting motorists along the Kipsitet Junction–Muhoroni stretch using Toyota Probox vehicles.
The police recovered a toy pistol, a walkie-talkie, and fake vehicle registration plates, items believed to have been used during and after attacks.
“This is a toy pistol resembling a revolver, it is fitted with a metal in the nozzle to scare away their victims,” Kisini said.
Photos circulating from the scene depicted a police job card from one of the suspects with the rank of a police corporal and an Auctioneers Licensing Board License with a matching national identity card.
Preliminary reports revealed that one of the suspects was a police officer attached to Koru Station.
However, there was no report of the stolen cash, with witnesses suggesting that it vanished in the chaos.
The bodies were moved to the mortuary pending identification and postmortem.
The police have meanwhile urged Kenyans withdrawing large sums of money to seek armed escorts.
