Villagers to cast out demons over strange happenings

By Francis Marangu

Residents of a village in Meru have vowed to use every means to cast out demons they believe have raided their village. Numerous strange things have been happening and many believe the devil has a hand in them.

Bizarre occurrences have become the order of the day in Gatundu village on the outskirts of Meru town.

Recently, residents were forced to wake up late at night to intervene when a man locally known as Samweli stabbed his brother.

The incident set stage for a night of drama as villagers descended on the man they termed as a nuisance not only to his family but also to the community at large.

"He is a bad person who is always causing trouble. He even caused the death of his mother. We can’t tolerate this anymore," said an angry villager.

To the shock of many, his father, poured sulphuric acid on the man’s face rendering him permanently blind.

Less than a week later, the village children were treated to free drama when a middle-aged man and an elderly woman were caught in the act in a maize plantation on a sunny afternoon.

At the strange sight, the children, aged between two and ten years, started shouting and attracted the attention of other villagers.

Karani, a casual worker at the neighbouring Thimangiri who witnessed the incident, says the children’s attention was drawn by the sounds made by the two.

A day later, a man was stabbed when an argument broke out between him and another man over a woman they were both seeking sexual favours from.

Common criminals

Residents rushed to the scene in response to the injured man’s cries. They beat up both men when they realised that they were common criminals and the woman a local prostitute.

Another cause of concern is the high rate of alcohol consumption in the area. With most of the drunkards being jobless youth, residents fear that this might lead to an increase in crime.

The villagers have now vowed to take matters into their own hands to ensure that a sense of normalcy returns.

"Even if it means calling all the men of the cloth in the area for a day of prayer, that’s what we will do. All these evil things cannot continue happening in this village while we watch," a village elder told the residents.

To add to the tension, a group of young men have given residents a one-week ultimatum to cleanse their homes or they would do it themselves. They claim the bad occurrences are as a result of witchcraft among a few people and these will be smoked out.

"Tunawajua wale wote wako na uchawi. Wasipotoa sasa, tutatoa sisi wenyewe na tuwamalize," reads a statement contained in leaflets said to have been dropped by the youths across the village.

This has struck fear in the hearts of many and some residents, especially women, are said to have fled the area in fear of the impending ‘Operation Toa Wachawi’.