A Migori County employee attached to the Department of Water and Energy was among the three individuals lynched by a mob in the early hours of Friday, 31 July 2026, following an alleged attempt to steal county solar panels.
The employee, identified as Mr. Stanley Ojowi, who worked as an electrical engineer, met his untimely death after he was allegedly caught with his accomplices handling solar panels at Mapera Shopping Centre in Suna East Sub-county before being beaten and burnt alive by the mob.
Speaking on the incident, Migori County Police Commander Edward Imbwaga said police received information about a mob justice incident at Mapera Shopping Centre at around 2:30 a.m.
He said officers responded swiftly to the scene, where they found three lifeless bodies that had been set ablaze, with one body burnt beyond recognition.
Imbwaga further said the individuals were using a private vehicle, which was also set on fire by the mob during the incident.
Speaking in a phone interview, Migori County Executive Committee Member for Water and Energy Sailus Owuor confirmed that Stanley Ojowi was an electrical engineer attached to his department..
However, Owuor said Ojowi had not been assigned any official duty on the night of the incident, adding that the department ordinarily provides an official vehicle and security whenever staff are required to work late.
“We usually give our staff an official van and security when working late hours. No staff was dispatched from the department on the fateful night to do any kind of work,” Owuor said.
The CECM further stated that the employee was operating on his own mission alongside the other two unidentified men.
He added that the county government had sought the assistance of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to establish the ownership of the private vehicle involved and identify the other individuals who were with him.
The incident has placed the county government under renewed public scrutiny, with questions emerging over the circumstances that led one of its technical officers to allegedly participate in an incident involving public infrastructure he may previously have installed or maintained.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Migori Governor Dr. Ochilo Ayacko expressed sorrow over the deaths, confirming that Stanley Ojowi was an employee of the County Department of Energy.
The governor condemned mob justice, saying suspected criminal activities should be handled through the criminal justice system rather than through acts of vigilantism.
He urged the National Police Service and other investigative agencies to expedite investigations and establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
The incident has also reignited debate over the welfare of Migori County employees, raising questions about whether staff have been working under duress to achieve target set by some directors within the department or was it an attemmpted theft.
By the time of publication, no evidence had been presented linking any employment or payment issues to the alleged offence, and investigators had not announced any findings on those matters.
Police investigations into both the alleged attempted theft and the mob killings are ongoing.
Meanwhile, the burnt vehicle was towed to Migori Police Station, while the bodies were transferred to the Migori County Referral Hospital Mortuary, where they are awaiting post-mortem examinations.
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