Piece by: CYRUS OMBATI

25 December 2022

• Witnesses said Constable Ken Kavunga Wali, who was armed with a Ceska pistol loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm calibre, was suspected to be part of a three-man gang that had accosted a woman along Muchai Drive in Kilimani and robbed her of her mobile phone and other valuables.

A prison warden attached to the Nairobi West Prison was lynched after angry members of the public cornered him following a robbery mission.

Witnesses said Constable Ken Kavunga Wali, who was armed with a Ceska pistol loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm calibre, was suspected to be part of a three-man gang that had accosted a woman along Muchai Drive in Kilimani and robbed her of her mobile phone and other valuables.

Following the 9 pm incident on Christmas Eve, the woman raised alarm attracting irate members of the public who temporarily abandoned their Christmas preparations activities and went after the bike with furry.

A brief chase ensued as the deceased revved the bike in an erratic huff, with his two accomplices perched precariously on the pillion seat.

Police and witnesses said after a few metres, the ill-fated bike lost track and wobbled on the road briefly before it landed on the tarmac.

The thugs on the pillion quickly gathered themselves up and limped away into darkness while the deceased was cornered by the unforgiving mob and beaten with less consideration like a government mule.

Detectives based at Capitol Hill police station rushed to the scene and saved the warden from the irate mob that had descended on him with an avalanche of stones, blows and kicks.

However, he later succumbed to his injuries at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

A Ceska pistol serial number KE KPS H1768 with 15 rounds of 9mm calibre was recovered from the deceased.

The motorbike used by the suspects was also impounded by the detectives and towed to Capitol Hill police station.

Efforts to arrest the deceased’s accomplices are in the advanced stages. Police discourage mob lynching and term it criminal.

Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said suspects should be surrendered to police for processing and prosecution.

“Like now we are not sure if the deceased was a criminal or not. He is dead and it is hard to know what happened. Mob lynching is criminal,” he said.

He added they are investigating the incident. Cases of mob lynching have been on the rise in the country amid calls to address the menace.