Nairobi — Two suspected members of the outlawed Mungiki sect were injured in an attack by vigilantes in Kirinyaga West District. One with serious injuries was admitted to Kerugoya District Hospital under tight security, while the other was locked up at a local police station for questioning. Two other suspects escaped into a tea plantation, with the vigilantes in hot pursuit, in the Wednesday night incident.

Even as the vigilantes were arming themselves to patrol the area, pro-Mungiki leaflets surfaced in the area, threatening revenge over the killing of two youths suspected to be members of the sect.

The vigilantes are said to have stumbled on four suspected Mungiki members and challenged them to surrender but they fled in different directions.

The vigilantes gave chase and caught up with two of them, whom they set upon with rungus.

Area assistant chief John Muochere intervened to save the suspects from the mob's wrath. Mr Muochere said the four were believed to be spying in preparation for an attack.

On Wednesday, fear gripped residents of Kirinyaga Central following the circulation of leaflets threatening to avenge the death of the two youths killed in the early hours of Monday morning.

Revenge killing

The leaflets, which the Nation obtained, said sect members would raid the district and avenge the killing of their colleagues by vigilantes.

The sect members have been engaged in a vicious fight with vigilantes in the area, leading to killings in Central Province.

A resident who declined to be named for fear of being attacked said she was shocked when she came across the leaflets at Kagumo.

"I was lost for words when I read the leaflets," she said.

A trader said the sect members did not issue empty threats and there could be mass killings if police did not take precautionary measures.

Contacted for comment, the area acting police boss Patrick Oduma said he had received the leaflets.

"We have the leaflets which are circulating in the area and we are investigating them," he said.

Police are not taking the threats lightly, he added. He told the residents not to panic, assuring them that there were enough police officers to protect them from attacks by sect gangs.