Police in Kilifi County are investigating a suspected murder and mob justice incident after a quarrel over a woman at a palm wine den in Ganze Sub-County left two men dead and a third in critical condition.

The violence broke out at about 6am on Thursday at a drinking spot in Kassava Village, according to police accounts reported by The Star and Nairobi News.

How the fight unfolded

Police say two patrons, a 40-year-old man and Hamisi Kaingu Kenga, 37, also known as Kababa, began arguing over a woman who was drinking with them. The argument turned physical, and Kenga allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the other man in the abdomen.

Other drinkers tried to intervene. In the struggle, Charles Orickson Menza, 65, was allegedly stabbed several times in the chest and once in the abdomen. He died at the scene.

Patrons then overpowered and disarmed the suspected attacker before turning on him. Kenga was stoned to death by members of the public.

  • Charles Orickson Menza, 65: died at the scene from stab wounds
  • Hamisi Kaingu Kenga, 37: the suspected attacker, killed by a mob after the stabbing
  • Katana Kitsau, 40: admitted in critical condition at Kilifi Hospital

Police said they are treating the matter as a "suspected murder and mob injustice case" and that no exhibits had been recovered by the time of reporting. Officers are still piecing together the full circumstances, including who took part in the mob attack.

Another bar quarrel turns deadly in Murang'a

On the same day, police in Kahuro, Murang'a County, began investigating the death of 43-year-old Oleste Irungu Kiende, who was found by the roadside at Githioro Junction with serious head injuries. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Muriranjas Hospital.

Police say he had quarrelled with another man at a pub in Jolly Shopping Centre the previous evening before bystanders separated them. Detectives recovered a bloodstained stone believed to have been used in the attack, along with shoes linked to the scene. A suspect has been arrested and the body is awaiting a postmortem.

Mob justice concerns

Mob killings remain a persistent problem in parts of Kenya, especially in rural areas where residents often accuse police of slow response. Police and human rights groups have repeatedly warned that taking the law into one's own hands is a crime, and that those who join such attacks can be charged with murder.

Local leaders in Kilifi have also raised concern in the past over drunkenness and violence linked to unregulated drinking dens, even as many residents defend palm wine, or mnazi, as a cultural brew.

Photos: Nairobi News; The Star. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.