Kaya elders, backed by human rights activists, on Friday afternoon demonstrated in the streets of Kilifi to condemn the killing of the elderly in the county.
Kaya Godoma elder Mangi Mitsanze accused the government of conducting shoddy investigations over the killings and called for action to end the killings.
Mitsanze said the Kaya Godoma Elderly Rescue Centre received 72 elders last year who fled their homes, after they received death threats.
“People have been using witchcraft as the reason for elimination of the elderly. However land issues and inheritance are the main reasons why we are losing our elders. The government should make sure serious investigations are conducted whenever such killings are committed,” he said.
The protest, which started at the Pwani University entrance and ended at the deputy governor’s office led to a heavy traffic snarl up.
The elders presented a memorandum to the Kilifi county commissioner Erastus Ekidor at his office before issuing another one to the Deputy Governor Kenneth Kamto.
Addressing the elders, Ekidor said the community should cooperate with the police if they want the killings to come to an end.
“This is a good idea that you have finally decided to voice up against the killings. This matter could have been a thing of the past if there had been cooperation between the police and the community. Whenever we constitute investigations, no one volunteers to give information to us,” he said.
He told the elders to make sure they spread message go to all the villages where the killings are rampant.
While presenting the memorandum, project officer of Human Rights Agenda Eric Mgoja, told the commissioner to make sure the killings of the elderly in Kilifi are brought to an end.
“As we present this memorandum to you, it is my hope that the persistent killings of the elderly people because of witchcraft claims will be addressed and a long lasting solution will be found,” Mgoja said.
Ekidor challenged the youth and the civil society to lead in condemning the killings.
“The youth have been blamed for many killings. Say no to the killings,”Ekidor said.