Suspected Mungiki member killed as several houses set on fire in Kirinyaga

A suspected member of the outlawed Mungiki sect was hacked to death while several others escaped at the South Ngariama ranching scheme in Murinduko ward in Mwea-East.

According to the residents, over 500 people from South Ngariama managed to chase them away and set seven semi-permanent houses on fire.

Locals in South Ngariama believe that over 30 members of the outlawed sect had been living in the scheme, where they had taken several pieces of land from the locals and planned to attack them.

"They wanted to chase one resident from his piece of land when the angry residents attacked them. Despite being armed with assorted weapons, we managed to overpower them, and one was killed before his body was set on fire," a resident Peter Wanjohi said.

"We don't want them here. We want to expel them because they have been extorting money from the residents and taking our pieces of land by force," another resident Peter Gichira added.

Residents stated that the sect members were brought to the area by a man posing as a land surveyor for the scheme.

"This man had been using these people to forge our land documents, causing confusion in this scheme, but we have said enough is enough," William Muthike said.

A security team from the Mwea-East sub-county, led by Mwea-East Deputy County Commissioner Fred Ayieko, stated that they would not comment as investigations are still ongoing.

The residents had previously chased away the militia group in 2008 after they reigned in terror in the region.

The body was taken to the mortuary by police officers, with residents affirming that they would not allow the group back in South Ngariama.