Three suspects die after mob torch Ndunyu Njeru Police Station

By Newsflash Writer

Three suspects being held at Ndunyu Njeru Police Station in Kinangop, Nyandarua County, were killed after a violent mob stormed and set fire to the facility on Thursday night.

According to police, the mob attack was sparked by the detention of four individuals suspected of livestock theft in the Ndunyu Njeru area.

The crowd, estimated at around 400 people, arrived at the station at approximately 8 p.m., demanding the release of the suspects so they could administer mob justice. When police officers refused, chaos erupted.

Amid the confrontation, the angry mob pelted the station with stones before setting it ablaze. The four suspects were locked inside the cells at the time of the fire.

Three of them died in the inferno, while one was rescued and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The bodies were recovered after the flames were extinguished.

Police officers at the station reportedly retreated for their safety as the mob overran the premises. In the ensuing destruction, several facilities were torched, including the area chief’s office housed within the station, a police Land Cruiser, a salon car believed to belong to one of the suspects, and a police house that contained key offices such as that of the Officer Commanding Station and the crime unit.

Mob loots exhibit store

The mob also broke into a container used as an exhibit store, stealing two motorcycles and an empty fuel drum. Additionally, four houses belonging to police officers were vandalized.

One officer sustained injuries during the incident, and while all firearms were accounted for, police said some remained locked in a still box that was scorched in the report office. The box has since been moved to North Kinangop Police Station for safekeeping.

The three deceased suspects were taken to Engineer Sub-county Mortuary for preservation and autopsy. The attack marks the latest in a series of assaults on police facilities following the protests that began on June 25. So far, more than 10 stations have been targeted and damaged.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had earlier on Thursday urged police to use live bullets to protect police stations from attacks.

In Kiambu County, five firearms were reported stolen during a similar assault at Dagoretti Police Post.

Other affected stations include Juja, Villa Police Post, Molo, Ongata Rongai, Matuu, Mai Mahiu, and Ol Kalou. Authorities are still assessing the extent of the damage caused during the unrest.