Kong’asis village in Cherang’any constituency, Trans Nzoia County is in grief following the death of two people; an adult and a 13-year-old Primary School pupil over what is suspected to be church leadership wrangles.
Trans Nzoia East Sub-County Police Commander Okumu Dullo told K24 Digital that Samuel Kipchumba and Cleophas Tanui, both members of African Inland Church (AIC) in Kong’asis had a quarrel at the church grounds.
On Monday morning, Kipchumba allegedly stormed into Tanui’s homestead armed with a shovel baying for Tanui’s blood. Fortunately, Tanui was not available.
He, however, turned on Tanui’s son whom he found preparing to go to school and immediately murdered him using the shovel.
“The two church members had fought at the church. This morning, Kipchumba went to Tanui’s homestead where he found his 13-year-old son studying at Kong’asis primary school and murdered him on the spot using a shovel,” Okumu noted.
The sub-county police boss further said that the culprit also destroyed property in Tanui’s house whose value has not been established.
On realizing that the culprit was determined to kill everyone in the homestead, Tanui’s wife escaped.
“He went into the house and ransacked everything, destroying items and the wife who was in the house managed to escape,” he said.
Afterwards, Kipchumba who tried to escape was pursued by angry villagers who roughed him up leaving him with serious injuries.
“He tried to escape but the villagers chased him, cornered him and beat him thoroughly. We managed to rescue him and rushed him to Cherang’any Sub County Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival,” Okumu added.
The two bodies have been taken to Kitale County Referral Hospital mortuary awaiting post mortem.
