Two houses were torched at a home in Nyabeda sub-location within Yala in Gem, Siaya County, after a 7-year-old boy was found murdered at Onono village on Thursday morning.
The houses were torched by irate villagers at the home of Dominic Odhiambo after his son was linked to the death of 7-year-old Michael Owino Alumba whose body was found dumped in a nearby bush.
According to Nyabeda sub-location Assistant Chief Tom Aruwa, the boy was suspected to have been murdered by Odhiambo’s son, prompting the villagers to storm his home and raze the two houses.
The administrator stated that this irked the villagers, prompting them to storm the home and destroy several properties before setting the two houses ablaze.
Preliminary investigations have established that the suspected killer had allegedly been found while stealing bananas at the farm of the deceased boy’s father a few days ago and was warned to stop, a reason for which he is suspected to have returned and abducted before murdering the innocent boy.
The police have since visited the scene and taken the body to Yala sub-county hospital as investigations and a search for the suspect who is still at large began.
Consequently, the Assistant Chief cautioned members of the public against the habit of taking the law into their own hands, saying that they need to seek proper avenues for solving disputes.
