By STELLA CHERONO (Daily Nation)
Residents in the Fuata Nyayo slums in Nairobi on Tuesday night disarmed a suspect and killed him as he attempted to rob a businessman.
The suspect, who was armed with a home-made pistol loaded with two bullets, was in the company of two others, who managed to escape from the scene.
Kenya Police spokeswoman Gatiria Mboroki said members of the public spotted a gun in the hands of one of the suspects at around 8pm.
FOUGHT AND OVERPOWERED
“One person dared to fight the suspect and overpowered him then seized the firearm from him. The other residents, angered by the suspects’ plot, beat him to death,” Ms Mboroki said.
She said the firearm was handed over to police officers, who are now searching for the other two suspects.
The body of the slain suspect was taken to City Mortuary.
Cases of armed robberies are on the rise in the city, with the Kenya National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons (KNFP) citing proliferation of firearms as the greatest challenge in fighting crime.
KNFP estimates in its latest report that at least 600,000 illegal firearms are in the hands of criminals in Kenya.
During a Sub-Saharan regional conference on armed violence, KNFP Deputy Director James Nanguli said most firearms enter the country from war-torn neighbouring states.
