- The committee led by Malindi chief magistrate Elizabeth Usui, had visited the centre to donate foodstuff and other items to elderly persons sheltered at the centre.
- Those sheltered ran away from their homes following threats on their lives by family members and neighbours accusing them of being witches.
Civil society organisations in Kilifi county on Wednesday called for concerted efforts to end the murders of elderly persons on allegations of engaging in witchcraft.
They said many young people in the county had made the killing of the elderly an enterprise, and that some residents were even agreeing to be hired 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 Network and Haki Yetu Organisation, called for a review of the Witchcraft Act to accommodate emerging trends.
The spoke at Mekatilili wa Menza Cultural Resource and Rescue Centre in Moi area in Magarini constituency, during a visit by members of the Malindi Court Users Committee.
The committee led by Malindi chief magistrate Elizabeth Usui, had visited the centre to donate foodstuff and other items to elderly persons sheltered at the centre.
Those sheltered ran away from their homes following threats on their lives by family members and neighbours accusing them of being witches.
Madca secretary general Joseph Mwarandu said the menace had persisted in the county because political, religious and administrative leaders have failed to raise their voices against it.
They have instead left the fight to cultural organisations.
The problem, he said, had been made worse by shoddy investigations and lack of cooperation from affected family members.
This factors have led to many cases being thrown out of court for lack of evidence, he added.
He said the killing of elderly persons on allegation they are involved in necromantic practices had degenerated into a security matter.
This, he said, needed to be handled with more seriousness by all instead of being left to cultural associations.
“This problem is getting out of hand because we are not hearing the voices of everybody. We do not have the voice of political, government and religious leaders,” 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,” the official said.
“It is unfortunate that we are giving birth to many murderers who are now available for hire. 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 usually involved.
The official noted that many of them fear giving evidence, making it difficult for investigators to find concrete evidence to prosecute suspects.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Haki Yetu Organisation’s Warda Zighe and Helder Lameck of the Malindi GBV Network, who also called for a review of the Witchcraft Act.
They want it to mete stiffer penalties to those condemning others of practicing witchcraft.
Magistrate Usui called on the youth to desist from wantonly killing the elderly in their localities on allegation of witchcraft.
She said this would erode the cultural values of affected communities since ultimately, there will be no elders to pass them to younger generations.
Usui said elders were a great heritage resource, and that 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.
The magistrate said 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.
Usui was shocked by the deplorable conditions the elderly men and women are living in. She said it was shameful to the society since such elders should be living 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 constitution,” she said.
The chairman of the Law Society of Kenya, Malindi Chapter Sirya Kiponda urged the youth to respect their parents.
Elders who spoke to the committee narrated the 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.