Land succession and deep-rooted hatred have been cited as the causes of extra-judicial killings on witchcraft allegations of elderly persons in Kisii.
Kitutu Chache North police commander Benjacliff Munuve on Wednesday said innocent persons, especially the elderly, were being targeted due to family feuds, hatred and land succession issues.
The police boss also cited the emergence of militias and self-styled village prefects, particularly errant youth, taking the law into their own hands.
"These youth are roaming villages in the name of giving protection but end up conducting illegal activities with impunity, including maiming and killing innocent people," Munuve said.
The police boss spoke during a public forum convened by the task force appointed by Kisii Governor James Ongwae.
The task force seeking to establish the actual cause of the lynching has embarked on public hearings.
Munuve decried the recent incident where four elderly women branded witches were lynched in Marani.
He added that a number of suspects are already facing the law in relation to the killings and asked the public to always involve the police in solving civil matters rather than resorting to mob justice.
Culture director Obino Nyambane said witchcraft was only a figment of human imagination and it did not exist so as to be used to harm others.
His sentiments were echoed by Kerubo Abuya of Utu Coalition Civil Society and lawyer Harun Ndubi who appealed to residents to discard the outdated traditional beliefs.
The task force aims to help the affected families attain closure including fostering reconciliation within the community, counselling, re-constructing houses, assisting in burials and food aid.
The task force headed by Administration executive Edna Kangwana also seeks to establish the drivers to the phenomenon of extrajudicial killings on suspicion of witchcraft.
It seeks to identify the manifestations of these suspicions in terms of social stratification and the role of the youth in extra judicial killings of suspected witches.
Other members of the task force include lawyers Harun Ndubi, George Kegoro, Vincent Sagwe, Dennis Ombachi, Kevin Mamboleo, Daniel Mguto, Edward Begi, Kerubo Abuya, Magdalene Mwebi and Bosire Angwenyi.
On Thursday, the task force was split into three groups.
The first group chaired by Kerubo Abuya visited Nyaribari Chache for public hearings, the second group led by Harun Ndubi was in Nyaribari Masaba while the third group led Obino Nyambane visited Bobasi.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)