Three children were among five people who were brutally killed in Mt Elgon by suspected members of the outlawed Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF).
Reports indicate that the Monday night attack targeted two villages; Masaek and Kutere in Kopsiro Division.
During the incident, two men were shot dead and two girls were hacked to death.
A boy who had sustained injuries during the attack unfortunately succumbed on Tuesday morning.
Residents then took the law into their own hands and killed three suspects at Murwani Village on Tuesday morning as they attempted to flee from the scene of the attack.
[caption caption="File Photo of Residents of Cheptais"]
[/caption]
According to Cheptais Deputy County Commissioner Stephen Momanyi, the killers could have been on a revenge mission.
“This region has been in the news for the wrong reasons and we suspect that the former fighters of the Sabaot Land Defence Force are on a revenge mission, targeting people who they suspect might have leaked their names to the security apparatus.
“We will deal with the killers mercilessly,” he remarked.
Mr Momanyi added that family members of a man who was killed in Masaek last April could have been on a mission to avenge his death.
“I want to warn people who are still in possession of illegal guns to surrender them to the security agencies before an operation to flush out suspects and forcibly get those illicit weapons is launched.
"We want people to live in peace, not in fear,” he reiterated.
[caption caption="Cheptais Deputy County Commissioner Stephen Momanyi"]
[/caption]
