Police hunt for suspects who murdered Mbita boda boda rider and raped his wife
The criminals are said to have abandoned a motorcycle they stole from the rider before going into hiding.
Police in Mbita, Homa Bay County, are hunting suspects linked to the murder of a boda boda rider whose wife was also raped during the attack.
The criminals are said to have abandoned a motorcycle they stole from the rider before going into hiding.
The incident happened at Got Rateng B village in the Nyamaji East sub-location at 4am on Tuesday.
According to Lambwe East Sub-location Chief Bernard Onditi, the criminals raided the rider's house where they carried out the attack.
He said the gang wanted to steal money from the rider that well-wishers had donated to help him buy a new motorcycle after an earlier robbery.
"One of his motorcycles was stolen by unknown persons and he was left with the old one," Mr Onditi said. His colleagues heard about his misfortune and decided to help him buy a new one.
"He did not buy another motorcycle immediately but decided to repair the old one. It seems the criminals were after the money," the chief said. Mr Onditi said the rider was sleeping with his wife when the gang stormed their house.
The horseman was hacked while his wife was raped. Mr Onditi said the woman had recently given birth and was still recovering.
Died while receiving treatment
"She had a five-day-old baby," the administrator said.
The boda boda rider died while receiving treatment at the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
His wife was also taken to the hospital for treatment. Mr Onditi said a resident found the stolen motorcycle abandoned in a thicket.
The resident also recovered a mobile phone belonging to the deceased. Mbita sub-county police commander Solomon Barng'etuny confirmed the incident and said a team of officers had been deployed to investigate.
The body of the deceased is at the Homa Bay County Referral Hospital mortuary awaiting post-mortem examination.
Last week, a group of boda boda riders asked police to step up night patrols in the town, claiming that a vicious gang of criminals was targeting them.
Homa Bay Town boda boda chairman Richard Opiyo said they had lost five motorcycles to criminals in the past month.
"Our only hope is in the hands of the police," the rider said.
