Two men were killed while two others were seriously injured in Ngara after they were accused of attempting to rob a passenger inside a matatu heading to Gachie.
According to witnesses, trouble began when a passenger raised an alarm, claiming he had been attacked and robbed by the matatu crew together with two men posing as ordinary passengers.
The shout for help quickly attracted the attention of members of the public. Bystanders blocked the road and turned on the suspects, attacking them with stones and sticks.
Despite desperate pleas to stop the assault, the mob continued beating the four men. They were rushed to hospital, but two of them — the matatu driver and the tout — were pronounced dead on arrival. The remaining two suspects were admitted in serious condition.
Police officers who arrived at the scene recovered several mobile phones from the matatu, believed to have been stolen from unsuspecting passengers during earlier trips. The vehicle was later towed to a police station for further investigations.
Authorities are now probing the alleged robbery scheme to establish whether the suspects were part of a wider criminal network targeting commuters.
Local residents say such incidents are becoming common, with repeated complaints of matatu crews turning against passengers, especially during late-night and weekend travel.
Police condemned the act of mob justice but acknowledged the growing frustration among commuters over rising insecurity. Officers urged members of the public to report suspected criminals to the authorities instead of taking the law into their own hands.
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