Primerose Omoto
At least three suspects have been arrested following last week’s football chaos in Kwale County, which resulted in the deaths of two people and left several others seriously injured, police have confirmed.
The violence broke out during the fifth edition of the Rashid Abdallah Super Cup held on Sunday at Kwale Stadium in Kinarini, Matuga sub-county.
Kwale County Police Commander Ali Nuno said that one of the suspects was lynched by the public, raising the death toll to two. The first one was a tuk-tuk driver who was attacked by the gang.
“One of the suspects was severely beaten by members of the public and succumbed to injuries while being rushed to the hospital, bringing the total number of lives lost to two,” he said.
Some of the injured were rushed to Kwale Hospital and Msambweni County Referral Hospital for treatment.
The chaos also resulted in property damage of unknown value, with tuk-tuks, motorcycles, and public transport vehicles among the vandalized assets.
Nuno said the three suspects are assisting with investigations to track down the remaining culprits.
He said that the police are treating the matter with utmost seriousness and assured the public that all those responsible will soon be brought to justice.
The county security chief also commended the public for their vigilance and cooperation, which played a key role in helping the police arrest the suspects.
“We are taking the matter seriously to ensure that such incidents do not occur again. I commend the public for their vigilance and for assisting us in apprehending three of the suspects,” said Nuno.
An eyewitness, Sarah Hafsa, recounted that they were waiting for matatus when a group of juvenile gangs suddenly appeared, armed with pangas, forcing people to flee for their lives.
Hafsa added that as the violence spread to the nearby shopping center, businesses were forced to shut down abruptly.
Dan Willy, a salesperson, was among those robbed during the chaos adding that he was attacked as he was trying to close his shop.
“I was hoping for a good day of sales due to the large crowd attending the event. When we heard the chaos approaching, I decided to close the shop. Just as I was locking up, they came and took everything,” he said
