Parents withdraw children from Mbeere School amid witchcraft claims

Mbeere South Deputy County Commissioner Beverly Oporwah Photo:Courtesy

Drama ensued at Karuraa primary school in Mbeere South Sub County, as parents fearing witchcraft was causing mass hysteria of pupils stormed the institution and left with their children.

Carrying twigs, they raided the institution and placed huge thorny shrubs outside the head teacher's office and forced the pupils to leave.

They claimed that a Class Eight candidate had been possessed by spirits and had implicated a senior teacher at the institution.

Area chief Julius Njiru said the parents had on the previous day protested that the 15-year old girl had been possessed by evil spirits blamed on a local teacher.

He said the girl had been prayed for by a group of pastors and she improved but later suffered the hysteria again.

“She started acting in a weird way and is said to have mentioned the name of a senior teacher saying he had sent the spirits to her. Several religious leaders had prayed for her but her situation never improved,” said Njiru.

A parent who asked for anonymity said the girl would collapse when she entered her classroom but while outside she had no problem at all.

Journalists who visited the school found the parents had also locked classrooms with thorny tree branches believing that the evil spirits cannot penetrate through.

It was all eerily silent in the classrooms as no learning was taking place.

A teacher at the institution said the girl has been sickly for some time and the parents should take her to hospital instead of believing in witchcraft.

He said the claim that a senior teacher was behind it was just a ploy to have that teacher transferred.

Kiambere MCA Lenny Mwaniki together with local education officials visited the institution and pleaded with the parents to let normal learning to continue to enable KCPE candidates time to study.

“We will be asking the parents to allow the children back. We will also ask for their preferred clergyman to come and pray for the pupils,” he said.

Mbeere South Deputy County Commissioner Beverly Oporwah called on parents to take their children back to school for KCPE candidates to prepare.

She said police are investigating the incidence.