Former nominated Member of the County Assembly (MCA) Carren Atieno Muga was arrested on Saturday amid a deepening investigation into the gruesome lynching of a murder suspect at Chemase Police Station in Nandi County.
The suspect was forcibly removed from police custody on January 3 by an irate mob, which proceeded to stone, behead him, and set the body on fire.
Police say Ms. Muga, the mother of one of the prime suspects in the killing of Enock Kipsang, is connected to an organ-harvesting syndicate.
According to authorities, the former MCA was trying to flee after fearing she would be targeted by vengeful locals. She was apprehended along the Chemelil-Miwani-Kisumu road, and her Toyota Harrier was seized as part of ongoing investigations.
The mob that stormed Chemase Police Station on January 3 did not stop at lynching the murder suspect—identified as Victor Kimtai.
After killing him, they returned to vandalize the station itself, setting it ablaze and leaving three officers injured. Before being lynched, Kimtai had reportedly threatened to expose family members connected to the alleged organ-harvesting syndicate.
“We are closing in on the other prime suspects in the matter herein, as the case is the pending arrest of known accused with DCI Tinderet dealing,” read a statement from the National Police Service (NPS), noting that some stolen items, including the National Flag and Kenya Police Service Flag, had been recovered.
The mob violence was triggered by public outrage over the killing of 38-year-old Kipsang, whose dismembered remains were discovered abandoned on a roadside.
Kipsang’s head was later found in a borehole, and his private parts had been chopped off. News of the murder spread quickly across Tinderet Constituency, prompting over 3,000 locals to gather at the Chemase Police Post, demanding justice and taking matters into their own hands.
The January 3 incident raised serious concerns about public order and police safety.
In response, Deputy Inspectors General Eliud Lagat (Kenya Police) and Gilbert Masengeli (Administration Police) convened a meeting with senior National Police Service officers from all sub-counties within Nandi. The high-level consultation aimed to foster peaceful coexistence among local residents and restore faith in law enforcement.
Investigations continue as police pursue additional suspects connected to the disturbing organ-harvesting claims and the violent attack on Chemase Police Station.
