Multiple cases of men beaten to death for stealing chickens have escalated throughout the provinces in Africa.
Kirinyaga: Man Beaten and Killed for Stealing Chickens and Goats
In a village in Kirinyaga, a 25-year-old man was beaten and killed by an angry mob for being suspected of stealing chickens.
Residents said that the mob dragged this victim out of his house and beat him to death. The deceased was identified as Simon Waweru.
Gichugu sub-county Police commander Edward Ndirangu confirmed this incident. He warned the public not to take matters of the law into their own hands.
Cases and disputes like this should have been reported to the authorities first.
According to the locals, Waweru was accused of stealing chickens [and sometimes goats] when the villagers worked at coffee farms.
A resident from Kamagambo said, “Angry villagers stormed the suspect’s compound and destroyed his house. They killed him on the side of the road.”
A cousin of the deceased, Richard Muriuki, castigated the incident and commented, “I know my cousin had been arrested twice already. But it should not be a reason to kill him. It’s possible he could have changed his ways.”
The body of Waweru was sent to the Kerugoya Hospital mortuary for postmortem.
Dokolo: Man Lynched By An Angry Mob for Stealing a Chicken
A mob lynched a man named Innocent Owinyi after being caught stealing a chicken and goat in Oyiregolo Village, Dokolo.
The victim was allegedly one of the 11 suspects who escaped from police custody in Dokolo Central Police Station.
The North Kyoga regional police spokesperson, Patrick Jimmy Okema, reported that the victim sustained severe injuries. He was announced dead on arrival at Kangai Health Centre III.
What the mob did was registered as a case of murder. The body of Owinyi was transferred to Dokolo Health IV for postmortem and will be handed to his relatives for burial.
Okema further reported that there were no arrests, and investigations are still ongoing.
In the last year, the police have registered about 978 cases of deaths by mob action. This was larger than the 759 cases in 2021.
Among the cases in 2022, there were 943 male adult victims, 25 female adults, 9 male juveniles, and 1 female juvenile.
The Albertine region has the highest number of murder cases (82 cases) due to mob action in 2022.
It was followed by Kampala Metropolitan North (72 cases), West Nile (71 cases), Kampala Metropolitan Police South (60 cases), and Busoga East (58 cases).
Okema called out to the public to desist from taking any actions as if the law was in their own hands.