Church report reveals how tens of elders are hunted and killed

Elderly men seek refuge at Kaya Godoma rescue centre in Kilifi County. [File, Standard]

More than 100 elderly persons were killed in two years for allegedly practising witchcraft, a new report has revealed.

The report by a Mombasa Catholic Diocese group shows at least 160 elders were executed by gangs of youths over witchcraft claims between 2020 and May last year.

According to data by Haki Yetu Organisation (HYO), which was collected from chiefs and verified by police reports, at least 138 senior citizens were killed in Kilifi County, while 22 were killed in Kwale in the said period.

This is the first report documenting the killing of the elderly at the Coast. However, HYO acknowledged that the figure could be higher since most cases were undocumented.

"The figures are quite conservative. There are more deaths related to witchcraft that may not have been captured," says the just-released report.

HYO blamed the attacks on inaction by chiefs and the police.

According to the report, the attacks are fuelled by the quest by youths to inherit land from their fathers.

The report documented a survivor of the violent attacks who lost his hands and has taken refuge at the Malindi District Cultural Association (Madca) rescue centre in Malindi, Kilifi County.

The report hints that the killing of the elderly at the Coast could have claimed more people than Shakahola but the situation was worrying because there was no serious government action.

HYO Executive Director Father Gabriel Dolan said they have investigated the grotesque and illegal acts for almost a decade where they engaged families and communities before compiling the report.

"Indeed, as this research illustrates, many elders have been killed in the past few years... and the number could be higher than those who died in Shakahola. This is a scandal that is ignored because the victims are old and no one in a position of responsibility dares to call these deaths by their proper name- murders- and respond accordingly," he said in the report.

He added, "They stand idly and cowardly by and say that they cannot handle matters of witchcraft, as it is a cultural matter."

The outspoken clergyman expressed hope that just as the Kenya Kwanza administration has acted with speed and put resources into dealing with Shakahola , it should also regard the killing of older Kenyans as a national crisis.

From the data, Malindi sub-county registered the highest number of deaths in the period under review at 45, followed by Ganze sub-county at 34 and Malindi at 23.

Rabai sub-county had 15 deaths, Kaloleni and Kilifi North sub-counties eight each, while Kilifi sub-county had the lowest number at five.

In Kwale County, Lunga Lunga sub-county registered 15 deaths while Kinango had seven during the period under review.

Matuga and Msambweni sub-counties did not record any deaths during the survey.

HYO said it launched community sensitisation and capacity building of law enforcement agencies to eradicate the killings.

Land tops the contributory factors for witchcraft-related human rights violations in the two counties.

"Officials from offices of the county commissioner, the police, and the Judiciary among other respondents outrightly said that. In their opinion, any dispute filed under witchcraft was a clash over land and resources," says the report.

According to the report, cultural beliefs among the Miji kenda community who populate the two counties associate witchcraft with unfortunate and tragic events and always find a scapegoat for them.

Sudden death

"Ill health or death in a family, especially sudden death, is a leading cause for families to witch-hunt. The belief by most Miji kenda that illness cannot be cured by herbalists or local hospitals is an indication of the involvement of someone with supernatural powers, that is, witch," the report says.

The report called for state interventions to protect family land and enhance its productivity at the Coast, apart from more efforts to unravel the killings and public awareness of the crisis.

The report also called for the promotion of traditional dispute resolution structures and enhanced protection of older persons in line with Article 57 of the Constitution.

"The county governments should facilitate the establishment of government-run shelters where persons in old age no longer feel safe in their homes can find a haven," says the report.

The elderly on the run from possible assailants have limited shelter at Kaya Godoma in Ganze and Madca in Malindi, Kilifi county.