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Alleged witch escapes lynching

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Published on Monday, 17 November 2008 01:44
A woman escaped death narrowly when she was found at a new grave in South Kisii District with paraphernalia associated with witchcraft. The 60-year-old woman clad in black attire with sashes around her neck and waist was cornered by villagers while attempting to exhume the remains of a person buried a week ago in Bogita sub-location.

Her accomplices managed to escape when the owner of the homestead, Mr Nyambu Kerochi, raised the alarm waking up neighbours during the weekend incident.  Kerochi said he heard footsteps at around 4am in the morning near the new grave raising fears that witches had invaded it.

After raising the alarm, neighbours woke up to find a large group of the alleged witches who managed to escape leaving behind the old woman who was unable to run. When cornered, the woman ran into a kitchen whose door was open and locked herself inside. However the villagers were able to drag her out and demanded that she explains her mission at the gravesite.

Apparently the woman remained mum and just looked wickedly at the villagers. It was not until she heard the angry villagers asking to be given fuel and fire to set her ablaze that she decided to get rid of the sand with which she had plugged her mouth and pleaded for her life. But the enraged villagers would hear none of it and would have lynched her had the local assistant chief, Edward Moenda not come to her rescue.

The chief convinced the villagers that stern action would be taken against her and asked them to allow him to escort the woman to Suneka Police Station. He said the woman, who hails from Boyando sub location and had been seized 10km away from her home, needed to explain her presence. He said police would launch investigations and asked the residents to remain calm and let the law take its course. The habit of lynching sorcerers and crime suspects has been on the rise in Kisii and its environs with residents saying that even after presenting the suspects to the police, many of them are often set free on claims of insufficient evidence.