Lamu, KENYA: Police in Lamu East are investigating an incident in which a man was attacked and murdered as he rode aboard a boda boda in Mbwajumwali village on Monday night.
The man identified as 42 year old Ali Shali Mohamed was riding as a pillion passenger on the boda boda belonging to Muzamil Hashim,an operator at Kizingitini area when a group of masked men emerged from bushes and stopped them between Mbwajumwali and Tchundwa using strong flash lights.
Hashim who reported the matter to the police said he jumped off the motorcycles and fled into the bushes where he hid.
He said the deceased who was unable to run was attacked by machetes by the masked men who cut him severally across the face and head.
The deceased died on the spot.
Nothing was stolen from the deceased and even the motorcycle wasn’t touched leaving many guessing that the attack was some form of ‘payback’.
Police are still holding the boda boda operator as their key suspect in the case.
“The way things are normally taken here,I highly believe it’s some grudge that someone had against him for whichever reason.The young people are especially fond of staging such attacks is they have issues with other people.Since all his personal items were all found intact and even the motorcycle wasn’t stolen,that only points to payback,”said Yusra Munna of Mbwajumwali.
The body has been moved to the Faza sub-county hospital for autopsy as police continue to probe the motive of the attack and hunt down the attackers.
Lamu East and especially Mbwajumwali,Tchundwa,Myabogi and Kizingitini areas are renowned for similar incidents which the police have attributed to increased drug use among youths and locals.
On June 10,2016,a senior chief was attacked and killed by a group of over six machete wielding youths as he headed to work in the morning.
Police have subsequently banned the carrying of machetes,knives,swords and other crude weapons in public places in a bid to reduce related attacks.
Currently police in Lamu have launched a ruthless crackdown on drug dealers and users around Lamu that has seen over 30 people arrested and arraigned in court in the last two weeks.