A 35-year-old man lost his life after he was allegedly attacked by an angry crowd outside his girlfriend’s home in Nandi County following a late-night visit that ended in tragedy.
The victim, identified as Bethwell Kiplagat, is reported to have gone to his girlfriend’s house at nightAccording to police, he knocked on the door hoping to gain entry.
However, moments later, the woman reportedly screamed for help, claiming that a thief had arrived at her home.
Her cries attracted neighbours who rushed to the scene.
Believing they were responding to an attempted robbery, the residents allegedly descended on Kiplagat and assaulted him with crude weapons.
He sustained severe injuries during the attack before his relatives arrived and identified him.
Family members later rushed the injured man to Kapsabet Referral Hospital, where doctors tried to save his life.Despite receiving treatment, Kiplagat died on July 5 as a result of the injuries he suffered during the assault.
Police have launched investigations to establish the exact sequence of events that led to the fatal attack.
Detectives are also seeking to determine why the woman raised the alarm and whether she knew the man before the incident unfolded.
The body was transferred to Crescent Mortuary, where it will remain pending a post-mortem examination expected to determine the precise cause of death.
The incident has once again raised concerns over cases of mob justice in Kenya, where suspects are sometimes attacked before police can verify the facts.
Authorities continue to urge members of the public to report suspected crimes to security officers instead of taking the law into their own hands, warning that such actions can result in the loss of innocent lives and expose those involved to criminal charges.