- They were traveling to Kampala to conduct DNA tests as part of their preparations to travel abroad.
- The mother of the two children who were mistaken to be on target said she escorted them out of the house as she does every morning.
Image: The Star
Police are now investigating the circumstances under which three people were stoned to death by a mob in a suspected kidnap case in a village in Butere, Kakamega County.
Investigations have since revealed the incident happened out of a case of mistaken identity.
A team has now been sent to the area to pursue the matter for justice by arresting and prosecuting those behind the attack on July 5.
According to Butere Sub-county Police Commander Julius Kipkorir, the three were in a group travelling to Uganda when their driver mistakenly entered a village where cases of child trafficking have reportedly been on the rise.
This triggered suspicion, which attracted an irate mob that attacked them.
"The case is that of mistaken identity. The suspects were victims. The matter is still under investigation," said Kipkorir.
One of the victims told police that they were travelling to Kampala to conduct DNA tests as part of their preparations to travel abroad.
"They beat us with machetes, big sticks, sharp knives, and stones. When the police arrived they were asked to stop but they kept fighting and throwing stones at us," Yusuf Abdirahman said from his hospital bed.
According to locals, parents have, in recent months, been forced to accompany their children to school over fears of trafficking following the disappearance of children in strange circumstances.
On the material day, the mother of the two children who were mistaken to be on target said she escorted them out of the house as she does every morning.
"However, upon getting to the gate, they turned, came back running to the house, locked the door and told me that they had seen the car that steals children on the road," she recalled.
She informed neighbours who raised the alarm, triggering the mob attack and the torching of the vehicle.
The police initially believed the narrative by the locals and confirmed a rise in reported child trafficking cases but have since established that it was a case of mistaken identity.
But after investigations, it has turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
Two identity cards were recovered, one for the driver and the other for a woman named Amal Warsame Yusuf.
Also collected at the scene was a Uganda-issued COMESA driving license belonging to Osob Ali Mohamed, a Somali national.
Six others were rushed to hospital after the Friday morning drama, police said after rescuing them.
This happened in Ibokolo village where a driver with eight occupants in a car drove into the village where the two 14-year-old boys saw them and retreated to their home.
The injured also had panga cuts and were taken to Butere Sub County Hospital in critical condition. The victims included two men and a woman.
Police discourage mob lynching and term it criminal.
They want suspects arrested to be surrendered to authorities for processing and possible prosecution.
Police say in some incidents, some victims are framed as suspects and killed by mobs.
Kipkorir said police are taking serious cases of mob lynching for investigation.
"Mob lynching is criminal and must be discouraged. We have had incidents where those involved have been charged with serious offences," he said.
Dozens of such cases are reported monthly in the country at an alarming rate.