Vihiga panga-wielding gang leaves two dead, multiple injured as residents decry insecurity

Fear has gripped residents of Vihiga County after a machete-wielding gang launched a wave of brutal attacks targeting night guards, leaving two dead and several others injured in just one week.

The latest victim, 62-year-old David Mudanya, was murdered on Sunday night while guarding a hardware store in the Stendkisa area of Chavakali.

Mudanya, a resident of Vigege Village in Sabatia Sub-County, was attacked around 2 a.m. during an attempted break-in.

Nothing was stolen, but by sunrise, his lifeless body lay sprawled beside the door he had been guarding.

His brother, Onzere Mudangale, described the killing as senseless and inhumane.

“The only mistake our brother made was doing his job to provide for his family,” he said tearfully. “His murder was heartless and brutal.”

The family believes Mudanya could have been saved if there had been regular police patrols.

According to Mudangale, his brother was killed after raising the alarm when he spotted the intruders.

“My brother was killed after what we suspect was an attempted robbery. When he tried to raise the alarm, they attacked him, but no one came to help,” said Mudangale.

That same night, the gang reportedly broke into several shops in the area.

In one bizarre incident, a suspected gang member was found asleep the following morning inside another shop he had broken into.

When the shop owner confronted him about the blood on his hands and clothes, the thug attacked—biting off one of the owner’s fingers before fleeing.

The violence has followed a disturbingly familiar pattern.

On August 7, meters away from where Mudanya was murdered, another night guard, Kennedy Kirwa, was hacked to death outside a mobile phone shop after refusing to let the gang steal.

A colleague from a neighbouring premise who tried to intervene was seriously injured, and the attackers fled with stolen phones.

Over the past weekend, two more guards were attacked — one while protecting Vihindi Primary School, and another while walking home from work in Chavakali.

Residents now live in fear, with many convinced the killings are not purely motivated by theft.

Some suspect ritualistic motives, citing cases where nothing was stolen.

Others believe the gang is fueled by drugs, striking out violently without reason.

“This gang moves freely at night, and in most cases, it’s not even about stealing. Why would they attack a helpless school watchman?” asked trader Fred Amiani.

Locals have complained about mushrooming drug dens in Chavakali and Mbale towns, where groups of youth openly chew miraa and consume hard drugs under the watch of indifferent authorities.

Vihiga County Police Commander Zachary Bitok said the gang mainly operates after midnight, promising to crack down on them and arrest the suspects.

“We have crucial leads and welcome residents to help us identify these culprits and bring them to justice,” he said.

Sabatia MP Clement Sloya condemned the killings and called for intensified police patrols, warning that laxity among police was fueling these crimes.

“I urge close collaboration between residents and security agencies to apprehend the suspects and strengthen security," said Sloya.

Chavakali region is manned by two police stations — Chavakali and Kilingili.

In 2024, two youth groups in the county — Reggae Defenders and Usiku Sacco — were outlawed over alleged links to crime and cult-like behaviour.

Authorities believe members were involved in motorcycle thefts and murders across Luanda and Emuhaya sub-counties.

Dozens of people — including boda boda riders — were killed last year and tens of motorcycles stolen in the two sub-counties.

The current killings echo a 2019 wave of violence that claimed more than 20 lives, including six night guards murdered in cold blood on the same night at Kilingili Market.

The infamous 42 Brothers gang was directly linked to those attacks.