Tuesday 26th March 2013 - Residents of Kirinyaga County are worried over rising cases of cattle rustling which has resulted to over 100 animals stolen in the last one month.In the latest incident, the cattle rustlers raided Ndaba village in Mwea division and made away with five heads of cattle belonging to one dairy farmer.
Narrating the sad experience, the cattle owner said that he woke up in the morning to milk his cows only to find them missing. He alerted the villagers who then pursued the rustlers who were said to have escaped to the neighboring Mbeere district.
Residents have accused the police for failing to take any action against the cattle rustlers who were stealing their animals and selling them to dishonest traders in Nairobi and other parts of the country.
This has forced residents to spend nights in the cold guarding their livestock.
They have threatened to lynch suspected rustlers if the police failed to arrest and prosecute them.
Area police boss denied their claims saying that the officers were pursuing the raiders and so far they had arrested one suspect and charged with twenty counts of stock theft.
They called on the residents to cooperate and volunteer information which could assist in apprehending all those involved in the crime.