Angry protesters in Muchorwi area of Molo town burnt down illegal property of unknown value following the death of a resident in the area on Thursday, November 5.
The group was irked after reports that a man died for overindulging in a popular illicit brew, chang'aa, having spent the night in one of the dens.
Speaking to the media, Molo Sub-county police commander Samuel Mukusi indicated that investigations were underway to ascertain what caused the man's death.
"We woke up to the news that a man had died and that he had spent the night taking Chang'aa. We are yet to conclude the investigations," Mukusi stated.
Mukusi further indicated that the police were also looking for the chang'aa den owners as well as residents who were involved in torching down the property.
"It is wrong for residents to take the law into their own hands. They should allow the police to conduct investigations and bring the culprits to book," he added.
Videos from the scene showed clouds of smoke emanating from the property that been completely destroyed.
The incident came days after residents in Kakamega County reduced a police station to ashes in protest of suspected police brutality.
It is believed that the fallout came about after the residents accused a police officer attached to the station of beating up a man to death for not wearing a mask.
The residents, who were in a crowd of 200 people, are also said to have been angered by the treatment of the suspect, Dennis Lusavu, popularly known as Bazenga, who then went missing after the incident.
"If the law requires the police officers to carry out certain duties and they don't observe it (the law) properly and have come to hurt us, who will observe it?" posed one resident.
