Residents of Spring Valley area in Embu County on Thursday night razed down the house of pastor of the Anglican Church of Kenya accused of defiling his 7-year-old niece.
The angry neighbours were reacting to a court decision that released Reverend Elijah Gichangi on bond, claiming that the 'man of God' was likely to intimidate witnesses.
Gichangi of Mbiruri ACK Church, had been arraigned before Embu Principal Magistrate Robinson Oigara where he denied defiling the Class Three pupil and was released on a Sh100,000 bond with surety of a similar amount.
A large crowd turned up at the court, calling for the castration of the pastor to protect their children from his preying eyes.
Mr Stephen Kariuki, a resident, said the mob was expressing their lack of faith in the justice system, saying a Sh50,000 cash bail was too lenient for such a grave offence.
However, Embu-West Police boss Francis Sang stated that the clergyman was not in the house at the time of the incident, but his wife and child managed to escape unharmed.
“Nothing was salvaged from the burning house, everything was destroyed. I urge people to stop engaging in mob justice. Every suspect has a right to be released on bond,” said Mr Sang.
According to neighbours, the residents were shouting the name of the clergyman before setting his house ablaze.
“The huge crowd just emerged from nowhere and was screaming. They threw stones at the house and then set it on fire. At one point, a gas cylinder exploded and we scampered for safety,” she said.
