Irate mob on Sunday October 17th lynched three elderly women and a man suspected to be witches before burning their bodies in Mbanda village, Kitutu Chache North Constituency in Kisii County.
The three victims who were in their 60s were suspected of bewitching a 17-year old Form Four candidate. They were dragged from their homes and lynched by the public.
This is after the student claimed that they had lured him out of their house to accompany them on Saturday night for witchcraft activities.
The student’s relatives say the boy was unable to talk when he was found. A ritual was conducted to cleanse him and as soon as he regained his speech, he named the four.
Angry mob marched to the victims’ homes without hesitation, killed the four suspects and set their bodies on fire. The bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
Local residents said witchcraft paraphernalia were found in the victims’ houses when they ransacked their homes. The mob also set on fire the suspects’ houses.
Four people who led the crowd in lynching the elderly people were arrested, and on Tuesday October 19th they were arraigned before Kisii High Court Senior Resident Magistrate Paul Mutai.
The four were identified as Amos Nyakundi, Chrispine Ogeto, Peter Angwenyi, and Ronald Oyonko. They were represented in court by lawyer Shaffin Kaba.
Police sought more time to hold the suspects, pending the conclusion of ongoing investigations, after which they will take a plea to murder-related charges.
“Considering the gravity of the case, murder is a serious offence. The application to release the suspects on a bond will not apply right now,” the court ruled.
The court granted the police 10 days to hold the suspects. Detectives said that 20 other suspects are being pursued after they were named by witnesses.
While outsiders feel pity for the four suspects who were lynched, residents in Kisii are confident that they are guilty of witchcraft.
The greater Gusii region has been on the headlines for one too many times over lynching of senior citizens suspected of being witches or practicing witchcraft.
A Facebook user by the name Giddy Akali opened up about how the community uses special ritual to identify witches before a mob can lynch them.
Written by Giddy Akali on Facebook:
“Concerning story ya kuchoma mchawi Kisii, I can’t say much because I witnessed a horror movie when I was in Kisii.
“The child of our lab technician at SUNEKA huko Kisii alitolewa kwa nyumba na mchawi. The house was locked, but the witch managed to enter the house and removed the child without opening the door. HUU NI UKWELI KABISA KWA WALE MNASHUKU.
“Then, the child was taken on a trip at night to feast on dead bodies. In the morning, mtoto hakukuwa anaongea na alikaa ameshiba. She was found in a thicket.
“Local leaders called the villagers wenye walianza kutemea mtoto mate. When one old woman did it, mtoto akaongea. That’s how they identify witches. There and then, she was burnt.
“AND THE WITHCRAFT IN KISII IS MYSTERIOUS. If you burry a fresh dead body, wanakuja wanatoa wanakula. If a legal process requires you to exhume the body, HAMTAPATA MWILI. Na sio ati wanachimbua kaburi. They exhume it mysteriously. They can exhume the body even 10 kilometres from where it was buried. If you wake up in the morning, mnapata kaburi imerudi ndani. For this reason, some Kisiis have decided to corrode bodies with acid before burying them.
“There was a day tukiwa shule wachawi walienda kwa dorm za wasichana wakawakata wakanyonya damu. All the ladies at Nyanchwa girls can confirm that this is true. The girls woke up with cuts on the hands. Some were still bleeding.
“I have witnessed all these things in Kisii. I can’t post this to malign the name of the community. KISII UNAROGWA NA SIO MCHEZO. So, I am afraid to comment on the killing of witches. Hujui kama kweli wamepata mchawi ama hapana. Kisii witches have mysterious powers, and villagers know how to identify them. OGOPA KISII”
Related: Related: Stepmother Chops Off Son’s Hands Accusing Him Of Using Witchcraft To Sleep With Her In Her Dreams
