Relatives of the three elderly people who were last Monday killed on allegations of practising witchcraft in Bwagamoyo in Kilifi county have expressed fear for their lives.
The relatives said they were also branded witches in March this year, a matter they reported at the Rabai Police Station.
“We were at a funeral in Rabai when one member of our extended family refused to greet us. Asked why, the man said he cannot greet us because we are also witches,” a close relative said.
The three, Muinga Lwambi, 68, Mwadziwo Lwambi, 57, and Naomi Gonzi, 50, were hacked to death at around 5am as they slept in their houses on separate occasions.
Muinga and Mwadziwo are brothers while Gonzi is Mwadziwo’s wife.
On Friday, the close relatives said the man who branded them witches refused to honour a summons to the Rabai Police Station, and is still at large.
“Now that our relatives were killed, we are constantly living in fear. We have not seen him for months but we don’t know what he is planning,” the relatives said.
Police say they have arrested and questioned at least three people.
Haki Yetu officer Julius Wanyama said cases of elderly killings on witchcraft allegations are slowly returning and pointed an accusing finger at authorities.
“There is a sense of complacency in dealing with these cases because most of these cases usually happen after complaints are raised with the police,” Wanyama said.
According to a family member, Muinga had twice received threats which he reported at the Rabai Police Station.
The police called Muinga and his accuser and urged them to resolve their family issues amicably.
The county commissioner Kutswa Olaka said any kind of killing will not be condoned.
“You cannot kill somebody on suspicion of witchcraft and escape the long arm of the law,” Olaka said.
Wanyama said in most cases, land is the underlying cause of the killings.
“Land is an emotive issue in Kilifi and youth use many allegations to eliminate the elderly, who are usually seen as stumbling blocks in their quest to sell off land and earn quick money,” Wanyama said.
He said local authorities also lack requisite skills to undertake alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
“As an organisation, we have been training local authorities on the Alternative Justice System so as to handle such matters before they reach extreme ends."
The bodies of the deceased are at the Coast General Hospital in Mombasa.
They will be buried in Rabai on Saturday.
Rabai deputy county commissioner Issa Salat has called for an urgent meeting to prepare security arrangements during the burial service which is expected to attract a huge crowd, including politicians.
The security meeting, to be held at the commissioner's office, will among other things, discuss how the remaining relatives who have been branded witches will be protected.
A sources at the local chief’s office told the Star there is a radical proposal by the local administration to relieve all the village elders in the subcounty of their duties.
However, the proposal has been met with surprise and condemnation.
“We have not heard of the proposal but if it is true then that is not the way to handle the matter. This will only sow seeds of anger, resentment and fear,” Wanyama said.
