A suspected thief was lynched by irate members of the public in Eldoret City after an attempt to steal a motorcycle at Block Ten area.

During the incident, enraged boda boda operators cornered the suspect at busy Paradise roundabout where they started beating him senseless and setting his body ablaze.

Police who arrived later moved the body to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) morgue as investigation into the incident was launched.

While confirming the incident, Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Benjamin Mwanthi expressed concern over rising cases of mob lynch in the region.

"We appreciate the frustrations caused by upsurge in motorcycle theft, but taking action into one's hands only perpetuates more violence," said Mr Mwanthi.

He reiterated that police are committed to addressing motorcycle theft and urged the community to desist from taking the law into their own hands.

Just last week, police in Eldoret recovered 59 motorcycles and 35 engine parts stolen from boda boda operators in Uasin Gishu and nearby counties.

According to Mr Mwanthi, the motorcycles were intercepted in Kapsoya garages after a tip-off from members of the public.

He said four(4) suspects have so far been arrested among them the owner of the garage, the marketer, and one(1) suspected thief.

He said the trackers of the stolen motorcycles are first disabled after being stolen and chassis numbers together with body parts are interchanged before being sold to unsuspecting members of the public.