A Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier was fatally stabbed during an early morning jog in Lanet, Nakuru County, in what police believe was a robbery gone wrong.
The victim, identified as Sergeant Hezron Change of the Kenya Military Academy, was attacked on July 4 around 5 a.m. near the Posta area. According to police reports, he was confronted by two motorcycle-riding assailants who stabbed him in the left shoulder and inflicted a deep cut to his left eye before fleeing with his mobile phone.
Bleeding profusely, Sergeant Change was discovered by a Good Samaritan who took him to the gate of the Kenya Military Academy. Fellow soldiers returning from their morning routine recognized him and rushed him to Lanet Regional Hospital. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries a few hours later. His body was later transferred to War Memorial Hospital in Nairobi for a postmortem examination. Detectives have launched a manhunt for the assailants.
The tragic incident comes amid growing concerns over insecurity and rising cases of mob justice in parts of the country.
In Busia Town, two robbery suspects were lynched by an angry mob after allegedly stealing a motorcycle. The owner managed to raise an alarm and, with help from fellow riders and a tracking device, traced the motorcycle to the Korinda area. The two suspects were killed in separate locations, with one being cornered in a Busia hideout after initially fleeing the scene.
A similar incident occurred in Nyamarambe, Kisii County, where a suspect accused of attempting to steal chickens was lynched and set ablaze along Ikoba-Nyakembene Road after locals responded to an alarm raised by a resident.
While these mob justice cases reflect public frustration with crime, authorities have condemned the trend, warning that some of the suspects are falsely accused and unlawfully killed. Police are urging the public to report suspected criminals to law enforcement agencies rather than taking the law into their own hands.
Investigations into all incidents are ongoing as Kenya grapples with balancing community safety and upholding the rule of law.
