Angry residents of Kaminji village in Mwea-West, Kirinyaga County on Friday morning arrested four suspected donkey thieves and set one of their vehicles on fire.

According to Kirwarwa Sub-location Assistant Chief Zacharia Miano Muchiri, the villagers managed to arrest four of the suspected donkey thieves but three of the suspects managed to escape after they were caught slaughtering 30 donkeys near River Sagana.

“Some of the suspects were found loading meat in two vehicles; one a pajero and the other one a probox vehicle which was set on fire before we intervened as they wanted to set the pajero vehicle on fire,” the Assistant Chief said.

The police faced a challenging task in preventing the mob from lynching the suspects. The situation was defused when one of the suspects identified as Ndirangu, revealed they sold the stolen donkey meat at Bama Market in Nairobi, offering details about their operation in an attempt to save their lives.

 He confessed, "Please don't kill us. We will tell you everything. We sell the donkey meat at Burma Market and pay those who slaughter Ksh 10,000 after the business ends."

James Maina, the Kirwara village in-charge, highlighted the severity of the crime by noting that a colt was found among the slaughtered donkeys, indicating that one of the animals had been pregnant.

Samuel Magu Kariuki, a villager, expressed his shock at the scene, describing how he initially planned to shoot one of the drivers with a bow and arrow before the suspect surrendered. "At first, we arrested two suspects and later captured two more. We are still looking for the remaining three suspects," Kariuki said. 

Residents have been alarmed by the rising cases of livestock theft in the region. Stephen Mwaura Karanja voiced the community's frustration and hope that this incident would deter future thefts.