Tensions boiled over in Ndunyu Njeru, Nyandarua County, on Thursday night after police allegedly shot a protester, leading an angry mob to storm and set the local police station on fire.
What began as a normal day turned chaotic after news spread that three suspected cattle thieves had been arrested and taken into custody at the Ndunyu Njeru Police Station. Residents, already frustrated by rising cases of livestock theft, gathered outside the station demanding immediate action.
Eyewitnesses said the crowd wanted the suspects handed over to them. They accused the police of failing to deal with recurring thefts that have affected farmers and small-scale traders in the area. When police refused, the situation escalated quickly.
A boda boda rider, said to have been among the protestors, was reportedly shot during the standoff. He was rushed to North Kinangop Catholic Hospital in critical condition. The shooting further enraged the crowd.
Within minutes, the mob overpowered the officers and torched parts of the police station. Videos from the scene showed buildings in flames as villagers cheered and sang. Multiple structures within the station compound were destroyed.
The status of the three arrested suspects remains unclear. It is not yet known if they were rescued, harmed, or managed to escape during the chaos.
The incident came just hours after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen issued a directive allowing police to use lethal force to protect stations from being stormed.
His “shoot-to-kill” order was widely criticized online, with many Kenyans warning it could lead to unnecessary bloodshed.
Residents at the scene condemned the police response.
“The police are not doing a good thing. Stop killing us,” one shaken protester said.
“We were only here to mourn those who died last year and to demand justice.”
By Vivian K.