Elders’ killings
Civil society organizations in Kilifi County Wednesday called for concerted efforts to end the unrelenting murders of elderly persons on allegations of engaging in witchcraft.
They lamented that many young people in the county had made the killing of elderly persons an enterprise and were availing themselves for hire to do the dirty job on behalf of disgruntled family members. Representatives of the organisations, which included the Malindi District Cultural Association, the Malindi Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Network and Haki Yetu Organization also called for a review of the Witchcraft Act to accommodate emerging trends.
They said this at the MADCA-run Mekatilili wa Menza Cultural Resource and Rescue Centre in Moi area of Sabaki Ward, Magarini Constituency, during a visit by members of the Malindi Court Users Committee.
The committee that was led by Malindi Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Usui had visited the centre to donate foodstuffs and other items to elderly persons who are sheltered at the centre after running away from their homes following threats on their lives by family members and neighbours accusing them of being witches.
MADCA Secretary General Joseph Karisa Mwarandu said the menace had persisted in the county because it had been treated with kids’ gloves by political, religious and administrative leaders who have failed to raise their voices against it and instead left the fight to cultural organizations.
The problem, he said, had been made worse by shoddy investigations and lack of cooperation from affected family members, factors that have led to many cases being thrown out in court for lack of evidence. He said the killing of elderly persons on allegation that they are involved in necromantic practices had degenerated into a security matter that needed to be handled with more seriousness by all instead of it being left to cultural associations.
“This problem is running out of hand because we are not hearing the voices of everybody. We do not have the voice of political, government and religious leaders and that is why fighting this vice is difficult,” Mr. Mwarandu said. “This is no longer a cultural problem. It has become a security matter because in my opinion, many young men have made the killing of elderly persons an enterprise,” Mr. Mwarandu said.
Malindi District Cultural Association (MADCA) Secretary General Joseph Karisa Mwarandu speaks to journalists after members of the Malindi Chief Magistrate’s Court Users Committee visited the Mekatilili wa Menza Cultural Resource and Rescue Centre Wednesday.
Photos by Judith Nyaboke
“It is unfortunate that we are daily giving birth to many murderers, who are now available for hire, because they have taken this crime as an income generating activity,” the Malindi-based lawyer added. He said whenever the murder of an elder occurs, family members are automatically involved, but noted that many of them fear giving evidence, making it difficult for investigators to find concrete and water-tight evidence to prosecute suspects.
His sentiments were echoed by Haki Yetu Organisation’s Warda Zighe and Ms Helder Lameck of the Malindi GBV Network, who also called for a review of the Witchcraft Act in order to mete stiffer penalties to those condemning others of practicing witchcraft.
Malindi Chief Magistrate Usui called on the youth in the county to desist from wantonly killing elderly persons in their localities on mere allegation of witchcraft as this would erode the cultural values of affected communities since ultimately, there will be no elders to pass them to younger generations.
Mrs Usui said elders were a great heritage resource and killing them for any reason would make some cultures become extinct as there would be no elders to pass cultural and traditional norms to younger generations. She lamented that many elders had fallen victim to their own greedy children and other close family members, who believe that eliminating the elders would pave the way for them to inherit property, especially land.
Mrs Usui was shocked by the deplorable conditions the elderly men and women are living in, saying it was shameful to the society since such elders should be staying at their homes and enjoying life with their families. “This centre is aimed at showcasing the Mijikenda culture and cannot be equated to a home. These people need to live in more dignified shelters as enshrined in the Kenyan constitution,” she said.
The Chairman of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Malindi Chapter, Mr. Sirya Garama Kiponda, urged the youth to respect their parents and avoid pinning on them allegations that have no basis in law. Elders who spoke to the committee narrated the horrendous ordeals they had gone through in the hands of their assailants and expressed fear that they would be killed should they be forced to go back to their families.