Two suspected thugs were dramatically stoned to death on Tuesday evening in a botched robbery mission in Kileleshwa, Nairobi.
The two were riding on a motorcycle when a mob at the junction of Olengurune-Gatundu Road confronted them.
Witnesses said the men had been attacking and robbing pedestrians when an alarm was raised, alerting the public.
The responders included other riders who chased them for a few meters before they were floored and stoned to death. The motorcycle was also destroyed in the 4 pm drama, police said.
Police arrived at the scene minutes lates and moved the bodies to the mortuary for identification and autopsy.
Police have been warning against mob lynching and want suspects to be surrendered to authorities for grilling and possible arraignment.
On Monday alone, five suspects were lynched in separate incidents in the country. Police said a similar number of suspects were lynched on Sunday in the worrying trend.
Officials say the surge in mob lynching incidents is an indicator of how bad things are on the ground and it is a sign of frustrations from Kenyans at large.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said at least 845 mob justice incidents have been recorded across the country since January 2025 to end of February 2026.
Of these, 579 resulted in deaths while 266 led to injuries.
Kiambu County recorded the highest number at 90 cases — 58 deaths and 32 injuries — followed closely by Nairobi with 85 incidents, leading to 55 deaths and 30 injuries.
Embu registered 51 cases (33 deaths, 18 injuries), Kisumu 45 (36 deaths, nine injuries), Kirinyaga 39 (28 deaths, 11 injuries), and Kakamega 32 (19 deaths, 13 injuries). Marsabit, Taita Taveta and Tana River each recorded one fatal incident.
“Concerns have been raised over the rising incidents of mob justice. These cases often involve violent attacks, public humiliation and in some instances fatalities before suspects can be formally investigated or prosecuted,” Murkomen said.
He attributed the trend to mistrust in the criminal justice system, saying some members of the public perceive investigations and court processes as slow or ineffective.
“The release of suspects often reinforces the perception that the justice system is ineffective, prompting communities to take the law into their own hands,” he said.
Murkomen also cited the spread of crime-related content and “instant justice” videos on social media as fueling copycat incidents.
The surge in violent street robberies and machete-related attacks in Nairobi is real and ongoing, not just online chatter.
Police said they are responding with intensified operations and investigations, but the situation is also tied to wider social and economic challenges — unemployment, youth marginalisation, and organised crime networks emboldened by past impunity.
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