KISII, Kenya, Mar 2- A court in Kisii has heard the heart-wrenching narration, of how four elderly women among them a 93-year-old accused of being witches were brutally killed.
The four, witnesses told the court, were dragged from their homes, thoroughly beaten, and later lynched.
At least 17 witnesses are lined up for cross-examination, in a consolidated murder case.
The killings occurred in Nyagonyi village, within Marani Sub-County.
Initially, there were two files, but the Defence and Prosecution counsel agreed to have them merged into one.
Amos Nyakundi, Chrispine Ogeto, Peter Angwenyi, Brian Nyakundi, Ronald Ombati, Justine Morara, Hesborn Gichana, Nelson Tumbo, and Justin Tumbo have been charged with the murder of the four elderly women on October 17, 2021.
All the nine suspects pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
They are accused of killing Sindege Sarange, Rael Sigara, Agnes Ototo and Jemimah Nyangate.
During the cross examination by State Counsel Hilary Kaino, one of the witnesses Christopher Mayaka said he witnessed his mother Sigara being killed by the nine suspects.
They appeared before Justice Rose Ougo.
Mayaka said at around 11:30 am on the fateful day, he was having a casual conversation with his mother outside their house, when the nine men stormed into their compound.
They were armed with crude weapons.
“Amos Nyakundi who was their leader had a Panga. He first attacked me and inflicted a deep cut on the back of my head before they carried my mother with a few households and took her away,” he said.
One of his sons, who was sustained injuries during the debacle, rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was treated and discharged.
“On my way home, I saw a cloud of smoke billowing into the sky from the middle of a playground. It was my mother being lynched by the suspects,” he said. “She was not a witch.”
Left with no option, he went to his home. “It is my son who confirmed that my mother had been killed.”
Other witnesses narrated a similar ordeal, under the hands of the nine suspects.
One of the “witch-burning” victims had buried her husband two weeks before she met her death at the hands of a rowdy, angry, and blood-thirsty mob that had labelled her a witch.
A task force was last year formed by the Kisii County government, with the mandate of seeking to address the underlying issues, leading to the killings.
Witchcraft accusations and the resulting extreme violence meted on women suspected of being witches have been on the increase in Gusiiland, and other parts of the country – including Kilifi.
This barbaric behaviour is usually sanctioned by some members of the communities where these acts are rampant.
There are many reports of very close family members (including women) colluding to instigate this violence, harass, intimidate, maim, and even murder widows by hacking them to pieces or burning them alive.
In many cases, when widows with children – especially minors – are murdered, their husbands’ family members disinherit them by grabbing their parents’ land and other resources.
These children often end up on the streets where they are extremely vulnerable to human rights violations of all kinds, such as human trafficking, child labour, physical, emotional, sexual, other forms of violence, and even murder.
Want to send us a story? Contact Shahidi News Tel: +254115512797 (Mobile & WhatsApp)
