Murang’a University of Technology students have left many talking after beating a suspected thief whom they forcefully removed from a police vehicle in Murang’a town.
The suspect allegedly stole a phone from one of the students.
In a video seen by The Kenya Times, the students were observed surrounding the police vehicle where the suspected thief had been detained pending transport to the police station.
The enraged students reportedly insisted that the police surrender 21-year-old Brian Muchiri Mwangi from their custody. In the video, the students can be seen pulling Brian out of the police van before proceeding to assault him.
The students, who were frustrated by the rising incidents of phone snatching in the area, seized the young man, alleging his involvement in the theft cases.
Murang’a University Students Stone the Suspect
Afterwards, they paraded him through the streets near the university before subjecting him to a lynching.
Brian the suspect is seen in the video being dragged on the road with blood stains all over his face as he attempted to plead for his life.
Despite his efforts to escape the mob, he was overwhelmed by the enraged students.
Some students could be heard in the background calling for a stop to the beating asking the enraged mob to allow the suspect to reveal his accomplices and produce the allegedly stolen phone.
“If you continue beating him with the sticks continuously, he will die before revealing the truth, let him talk first” one of the students is heard saying.
Brian is reported to have later succumbed to the beating.
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Some Social Media users have criticized Murang’a university students’ action to being inhumane.
A Facebook user by name Johnnie Rosa stated,” I hate thieves, but this is not the correct way to handle them.”
Dero Mchamplin another user was concerned about the extent of the punishment for thieves.
“How can they equate someone’s life to a phone, at least they could have disciplined him,’ he said.
Wesley Charo humorously stated, “That’s why they finish university and stay unemployed forever. They curse the education system for this nonsense.”
However, residents of the area and boda-boda riders refuted the theft accusations leveled against Brian, instead accusing the students of acting with impunity because of their large numbers.
Narration of the Scene
According to reports, Brian was apprehended by a group of university students who accused him of theft.
He was then marched towards the university, but intervention from police officers at the nearby Murang’a police station was unsuccessful in saving him.
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It is noted that police officers had initially detained Brian and placed him in their vehicle, but the students’ mobilized others and surrounded the vehicle, threatening violence against the officers and their vehicles.
Fearing for their safety, the police relinquished custody of the suspect to the students and departed from the scene.
The students alleged that Brian was associated with a notorious gang that had been terrorizing students in the area, robbing them of their belongings.
Police officers were yet to issue a statement on the incident by press time.
