Mombasa/SCREENGRAB
Police rescued five members of the same family after they were found walking naked and praying along Moi Avenue in Mombasa.
Their actions attracted a large crowd that threatened to attack them.
The incident was reported on Tuesday, prompting officers on patrol to rush to the scene.
Police found the group, comprising a mother, two daughters, a son and a seven-year-old girl, and escorted them to Central Police Station to protect them from possible mob justice.
Preliminary investigations established that the family had travelled from Mbeere in Embu County and was temporarily staying in the Chaani area of Changamwe Sub-County.
According to police, the family claimed they believed they had been instructed by their spiritual beliefs to remain naked to avoid committing sins because they considered themselves to be living in the “last days.”
Officers said the adults appeared to be in a disturbed mental state and were largely unresponsive to questions.
The four adults were taken to Port Reitz Sub-County Hospital for emergency medical assessment and treatment.
The seven-year-old child was later released into the care of her aunt, who resides in the Samburu area of Kwale County.
Police said the adults remain under medical care as investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident continue.
Authorities have linked the case to the growing influence of suspected cult-like beliefs reported in some parts of the country. However, investigations are ongoing, and no criminal findings have been announced.
And police in Embu County arrested a farm worker after investigators uncovered suspected evidence of a violent crime while searching for a missing man at a farm in Itabua, Embu West Sub-County.
The developments followed a missing person report filed earlier on Tuesday.
The missing man was identified as Lawrance Murimi Njiru, who worked on the complainant’s farm.
According to police, officers from Itabua Police Station, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) revisited the farm and conducted a thorough search.
During the search, detectives discovered a freshly ploughed section of land where banana seedlings had recently been planted, raising suspicion that something may have been buried there.
Investigators also found signs of a struggle near the cattle shed, including blood splashes and stains, suggesting a violent confrontation may have taken place.
Crime scene officers processed and documented the scene.
The body was later exhumed.
Investigators found that a banana stem had been planted over the grave in an apparent attempt to conceal the burial site.
Preliminary examination revealed multiple deep cut wounds to the head, a stab wound on the lower back and a broken right wrist, suggesting the victim had been violently assaulted before being buried.
Crime scene officers documented and processed the scene before the body was transferred to Embu Level Five Hospital Mortuary for a post-mortem examination.
