An irate mob in Thika’s Makongeni estate on Sunday morning set ablaze a private vehicle following a road accident near the local police station.
The incident involved an Audi A3 hatchback, reportedly owned by a DCI officer, which allegedly knocked down a rider and his passenger, leaving them with injuries. Outraged colleagues rushed to the scene in protest.
According to the Independent Police Oversight Authority, preliminary investigations revealed that the matter was reported to Makongeni Police Station. It was at the station that attempts to disarm the officer turned tragic when he withdrew his gun, fatally shooting the rider with his passenger.
In retaliation, the boda boda operators torched the vehicle, reducing it to a shell as tension gripped the area.
Images and videos seen by Kenyans.co.ke captured the vehicle engulfed in flames on the roadside, with residents and road users milling around as smoke billowed into the air. The fiery protest by the riders caused panic in the area and briefly disrupted traffic flow.
The incident has fuelled growing public concern over the rising trend of mobs targeting vehicles involved in accidents.
It came less than a day after angry boda boda operators in Vihiga County torched a PSV van on Saturday morning, after the driver allegedly ran over a motorbike rider in the Luanda area along the Kisumu-Busia highway.
The crash occurred near Luanda market when the 14-seater matatu is said to have lost control and struck the rider, killing him on the spot.
Meanwhile, police officers from Makongeni are yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
Last Monday, traffic along the busy Thika Superhighway was temporarily disrupted after a bus belonging to the Super Metro Sacco was set ablaze.
The incident occurred after the bus allegedly knocked down and killed a bodaboda rider. In retaliation, angry operators descended on the vehicle, torching it on the spot.
The bus was reduced to ashes and left beyond repair, though authorities confirmed that no further injuries were reported during the chaos.
Kenyans on social media have expressed mixed reactions to the growing trend of bodaboda riders taking the law into their own hands. While some have urged police to act decisively to curb the menace, others have defended the riders, arguing that they often face harassment and bullying from other road users.
