A man in Kenyaizrael area, Machakos county lost his life after he was set ablaze by area residents over the theft of chicken.
Local residents decried that the deceased identified as Samuel had become a notorious thief and terrorized them. They noted that the deceased consistently stole from them and went into hiding before resurfacing to steal again.
"The man has been stealing for years, disappearing and then coming back to terrorise residents," one Daniel Masau a local resident told a local publication.
Samuel was burnt to death after another theft case was reported. In the unfortunate incident, his latest victims discovered that their chickens were missing from their respective backyards.
When a search was launched by the area locals, the chickens were found bundled up in a sack at Samuel's compound.
Instantly, the aggrieved locals attacked him and interrogated him to confess and disclose where he took the chicken to.
Pressured by the locals, Samuel confessed to his crimes angering the locals further. They then burnt him to death.
Police who arrived at the scene of the crime cautioned the residents against punishing criminals and urged them to report to the police.
The body of the deceased was moved to the Machakos Level 4 Hospital mortuary pending investigations.
