KENYA Man committed theft and then tried to flee on his motorcycle. An enraged crowd, however, stopped him and carried out street justice, lynching him – in other words, stoning him to death.
Acts of street justice in Africa can be seen from two different perspectives. The first is that of the ordinary poor person, who has little faith in the state justice system – often with good reason. It is not uncommon for a thief to bribe the police and be released almost immediately. Furthermore, in impoverished African conditions, theft is often seen as nearly equivalent to murder, or at least serious bodily harm, because poor people’s survival often depends directly on the few possessions they have.
The second – and correct – perspective is a human rights one. No one has the right to physically attack or take another person’s life, not even a thief. The right to life should always be inviolable and paramount. Most thieves in these regions do not steal for luxury, but to meet basic survival needs, often acting out of sheer desperation.
Although Kenya is one of the most developed countries on the African continent, the problem of street justice still persists. The government is attempting to combat it through awareness campaigns and harsh penalties for all participants in lynchings. These incidents are also frequently deliberately publicized by the media.
