A man reportedly set ablaze a cow belonging to a relative after he was denied milk in Bomwagamo, Nyamira County.

According to The Standard, Nyambiri assistant chief Peter Oyange said the man later surrendered to the police and confessed to burning the lactating cow in the shed after being denied a cup of milk.

The assailant committed the arson attack at around 4 am on Tuesday while the owners were asleep.

The cow died in the inferno.

Nyamira County Commissioner Amos Mariba expressed concerns over rising cases of substance abuse among the youth that has contributed to an increase in cases of lawlessness in the county.

“We suspect such incidences could be linked to substance abuse among young people. Our fight against the vice is a notch higher and we hope to bring the situation under control,” Mariba said.

The incident comes after an unknown person in March sneaked into an elderly woman’s homestead and slashed her pregnant heifer’s hind legs, rendering it immobile.