Three people were killed by a mob in Dera, Kilifi, on claims they bewitched someone who died on Monday.
Witnesses and villagers said a boda boda rider died hours before he was to go to his village for a traditional marriage ceremony.
A witness who sought anonymity said the rider collapsed and drowned while cleaning his motorcycle.
“He was a well-known motorcyclist who was to get married that evening.
Moments after he died, news spread that seven witches had planned his death. That is why they raided the villages and killed them."
Kilifi police boss Alexander Makau confirmed the four deaths - that of the rider and three elderly people said to have been behind his death.
“It is true...we have lost four people in a span of two days. A young man
drowned when he went to wash his motorcycle at Kashuru dam," he said on Tuesday.
"The boda boda operators claimed the elderly people had a hand in the death of their colleague. That is why they raided their homes and killed them this morning."
Police rescued other people before they were lynched and said they had taken control.
“The youths had enlisted seven people for elimination today but our quick response saved the situation. The people we rescued are at the police station,” said Makau.
He said officers from different agencies were dispatched to the area to search for the killers.
The victims were identified as
Kahindi Silaumu (65), Pola Tete (58) and Kamali Dulo(60). The boda boda rider who died on Mondya was 22-year-old Khamis Kadondo.
But a resident claimed one of the victims confessed to bewitching the boda boda operator before she was hacked to death.
“Before her death, one of the victims said she was in the team of seven sorcerers. The angry operators then killed her in broad daylight,” said the witness.
Area MCA Khamis Kadondo sent a condolence message after the incident that shocked villagers.