The state of anarchy that has been raging in Murang'a County in the recent past has played out again where on Friday, violence claimed the lives of two men from one family.

According to Kigumo Sub County police commander Mr Kiprono Tanui, the two died at Mbari ya Kiongo village in an incident that involved taking the law in own hands.

"Mr Mwangi Muiruri,41, fought with Antony Ngigi,38, on September 11, 2024, and they were separated. However, Mr Muiruri developed health complications from the fight," Mr Tanui said.

He added that none of the two reported to police about the fight and also none went to seek medical attention.

"Unfortunately, Mr Muiruri succumbed to his injuries in the morning of September 13, 2024. This led to villagers getting agitated, opting to avenge," he said.

He said preliminary investigations indicate that the villagers concluded that the deceased died because of the previous fight with his cousin.

"It is then that violence begot more violence when the villagers armed themselves with crude weapons, commenced a manhunt against Mr Ngigi and murdered him in cold blood," he said.

Mr Tanui said the incident reeks of societal indiscipline.

"It is out of the two relatives who are neighbours resorting to physical fight instead of talking out their grievances that we have reached where we are collecting two bodies dead by violence," he said.

Mr Tanui said the village further exhibited lack of respects for the rule of law by policing the incident through commiting murder.

"As a result, the same family has inflicted itself two deaths that could have been avoided. The village will now bury two productive men for chosing violence over peace," he said.

In the recent past, Murang'a has hit national headlines for high octane violence where elderly women have been burnt to death in suspicious fires, suspects lynched including cases where residents have been raiding police stations and after stoning off armed officers, proceed to remove suspects from cells and murdering them.

Regarding the Friday morning lynching, Mr Tanui said investigations have been launched to establish who masterminded the second death.

"We cannot build a country that aspires to have justice as its shield and defender by encouraging murderous rage to guide our conflict resolution. There is nothing called mob justice and should we establish those who executed this murder, we will certainly arrest them and charge them in court," he said.

A family member, Mr Mungai Muiruri said "this issue has gravely affected us since we have lost two(2) family members in a span of three(3) hours".

He said Mr Muiruri who died earlier had expressed a need to reconcile with Mr Ngigi following the fight but unfortunately he died before a sitting had been convened by relatives and elders.

"Mr Muiruri died as we were taking him to hospital. Mr Ngigi had volunteered to foot the bill. The two had fought in a normal domestic argument and there was no intention to murder," he said.

He added that he was surprised to see neighbours team up and murder Mr Ngigi "as he screamed for mercy".

He said "the death was very violent because they descended on him with all manner of crude weapons and did not even give him a chance that he desperately begged for to repent his sins and declare the Lord as his personal saviour".

Ms Esther Wambui, an elder said "what is eating our society is influx of bhang and cheap alcohol that are inflicting our males with deranged minds".

She said "bhang is smoked openly and boldly like a religious diet...our grassroots security men and women only demanding bribes instead of enforcing the narcotics laws".

She lamented that the two deaths now bring the total number of violent murders to five in a span of one year.

"Recently a young man died in a fight at Mugumo-ini market, another was murdered in a nearby Kahumbu forest after he was nabbed with stolen beans worth Sh100 while another 28 year old man died a week ago after his mother and brother excessively disciplined him for being drunk and abusive," she said.

Mr Tanui said security vigilance will be upped in the area to rid it off illicit brews and narcotics.