Machakos police have launched an investigation into the death of a man who was burned to death over chicken theft in the Kenyaizrael area of Machakos county.
The man, identified only as Samuel, was apprehended with seven chickens stolen from a neighbor.
Daniel Masau, a local, told Wanachi Reporting that the man was a notorious thief who would steal, disappear from the area for a while, and then resurface for another round of thievery.
“The man has been stealing for years, disappearing, and then coming back to terrorize residents,” he said.
The latest victims woke up to a shock on Thursday when they found seven of their chickens missing from their backyard.
They alerted other residents and a search was launched, which led them to Samuel, who had packed the chickens in a sack.
A section of residents then pounced on him and told him to confess where he had been selling the proceeds of his crimes.
The man is said to have made the confession pleading for mercy, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
By the time police officers arrived at the scene, the man was dead.
