Police have arrested four men in connection with the murder of four elderly women who were lynched to death by a mob in Kisii County on Sunday, October 17.
Following their arrests, the suspects were arraigned before the Kisii Law Courts on Tuesday, October 19, with the Directorate of Criminal investigations (DCI) requesting the court to grant the police additional 14 days to detain the suspects.
However, Senior Resident Magistrate, Paul Mutai, ordered that the four men be withheld for 10 days to enable the DCI complete their investigations. The four will be arraigned in court on October 29, to take their plea.
The arrest of the suspects come after Inspector General of Police, Hillary Mutyambai, issued a statement on his Twitter account on Monday, October 18, promising that his office would investigate the matter to its logical conclusion.
"I strongly condemn this heinous act. Investigations are at an advanced stage, the suspects will be arrested and prosecuted. This should also be a warning to members of the public from taking laws into their own hands," Mutyambai stated.
On the other hand, family members of the four women called for justice for their slain relatives who are reported to be above the age of 60 years.
During an interview on a local TV station, some of the family members, who did not want their names revealed, alleged that the killing was related to land disputes in the area, stating that the witchcraft accusations were a mere cover-up.
"They chased us away with a panga and so we could not be there to witness what was happening. They closed the door and burnt the house down. They have killed my mother because of a land dispute," a daughter to one of the women narrated.
Another family member disclosed that they also had to run away to protect themselves, stating that the irate group was also chasing after them.
"We could not come to the rescue of my mother. All we could hear was her begging for her life stating that she had never practiced witchcraft," she disclosed.
The incident also caused a public uproar after pictures of the incident made rounds on various social media platforms. Some of the online users lamented the rising trend of mob justice, stating that there are alternative means of seeking justice.
"This case should be taken with the seriousness it deserves. This man in the picture should be made to reveal his accomplices," Kennedy Otieno, a Twitter user, responded to the IG's statement.
