Chaos ensued in the Ruai area in Nairobi County on Wednesday afternoon after an angry mob descended on a boda boda rider suspected of being part of a syndicate that has recently been terrorising the area's residents.
According to a police report obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, the 26-year-old rider was transporting a customer within the area when some residents claimed the rider resembled a member of the syndicate suspected of frequently mugging locals.
Unknown to the rider, the onlookers rushed towards him from behind, with several passersby joining the chase.
The mob descended on the rider moments after he briefly stopped for the customer to alight.
Moments later, police officers attached to Ruai Police Station received a distress call over the situation and rushed to the scene.
The detectives found the rider writhing in pain from the heavy blows and kicks.
In a split second, the officers dispersed the crowd from the scene, saving the rider in the process.
The rider was escorted to Mama Lucy Hospital for medical treatment. Police officers have since launched investigations to investigate whether the rider is involved in the muggings within the area.
Preliminary investigations, however, revealed that no one had reported a mugging incident by the rider.
Muggings are among the highest number of reported crimes in Nairobi, indicating an increase in the crime rate in the city. This is according to the 2023 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Economic Survey.
Other top crimes reported in police stations included murder, offenses against morality, other offenses against persons and robbery respectively.
In total, Nairobi recorded the highest crime rate with 8,512 followed by Kiambu (7,844), Meru (5,698) and Nakuru (4,514).
