Suspected witch found dead in Kilifi County

By Linah Benyawa

A 70 year old man was on Sunday found dead at his home in Chelala village in Kilifi County with deep cuts on his head.

According to police reports, the old man Karisa Kazungu is believed to have been murdered by unknown assailants on suspicions of practicing witchcraft.

Kaloleni OCPD David Kerina said the old man was leaving alone in a secluded house a distance from his relatives’ homestead. The deceased lifeless body was found by one of his grand daughters’ when her uncle asked her to go check on him at around 7am in the morning.

“According to the deceased son Daniel Karisa, he sent his niece at around 7am to go and see if the grandfather had woken up, but when she opened the door, she saw the grandfather’s body lying lifeless on the floor with deep cuts on the head,” said Kerina.

Kerina added that according to the neighbors’, the unknown assailants murdered Kazungu because they suspected that he was a witchdoctor believed to have brought misfortunes in the village.

“The neighbors said because the man was leaving a lone in a secluded place, people think he was a witchdoctor and because of his old age, the suspicions became even stronger that is why they took advantage of his old age and the fact that he was alone in the house and murdered him,” he added.

Police are still in pursuit of the assailants who are not known to anyone because they broke into the house late at night and murdered the old man.