• The woman in the footage is seen casting a spell in front of what looks like a mosque.
• After stripping naked, she is then seen throwing something on the growing with brute force, a ritual known in the Coastal region to be one of casting a spell on someone.
Image: BRIAN OTIENO
MCAs in Mombasa want the police to arrest a woman captured on CCTV performing witchcraft in Mombasa.
Nominated MCA Fatma Kushe and her Tononoka counterpart Ali Omar said the woman’s bizarre activities send a bad message to the world.
"First, she has shamed us as women by stripping naked. Then she makes Mombasa look bad, especially since she performed her witchcraft in a historic neighbourhood," Kushe said.
The two MCAs said the incident occurred in Old Town, which has the same type of house designs seen in the video clip.
The CCTV footage, which was captured on March 30 at around 3.05am, is doing rounds on social media in Mombasa and has exposed the other side of cultural beliefs in the Coastal town.
The woman is seen casting a spell in front of what looks like a mosque.
The setting resembles that of Old Town in Mombasa, with the surrounding houses typical of the ancient Arabic and Swahili designs.
The woman, in the company of another woman and a man, are seen walking towards what looks like a mosque, then she strips naked.
The woman stands in front of the mosque and looks over her shoulder as if to check if someone was watching.
She then starts chanting and throws something on the ground with a lot of force. In the Coastal region, it is believed to be a ritual for casting a spell on someone.
From the clip, what she threw on the ground is not clear but traditionalists at the Coast say when such rituals are performed rotten eggs, a coconut, or a small pot are used.
A Mijikenda elder Bakari Ali said, "In the traditional rituals practiced at the Coast, those are the items used. The ritual is performed when casting a spell on a particular person."
After casting the spell, the woman in the video is seen re-joining her colleagues who were waiting for her a few steps ahead of her.
Kushe said the video shows the ills that are performed under the cover of darkness. However, she said the incident also showed how important it is to have CCTVs on the streets.
“We thank Governor Hassan Joho for installing CCTV cameras on all the major streets and alleys in Mombasa,” she said.
The Star could not independently verify whether the video was captured in Mombasa or in Zanzibar, which has similar house designs.
"It is a shame that as a society we can stoop to such levels. The woman has shamed us as women and Mombasa people. I am told the video was captured in Old Town,” said Kushe.
Omar said the society needs to do away with such practices.
Kushe said there is need for more CCTV cameras to be installed to capture such acts whoich she said must not be allowed in Mombasa.