Angry residents of Duka Moja village in Kakamega County brutally killed an elderly couple and a witch doctor, suspecting them of practicing witchcraft.
The villagers raided the home of 59-year-old Arnold Ambuchi and beat him to death along with his 54-year-old wife, Seraphine Muloki. Additionally, they lynched the couple’s 60-year-old guest, Ayub Lusweti, a renowned witch doctor from Matete village in Lugari.
According to reports, Mr Lusweti, a father of seven, had visited the couple to perform some rituals.
Dorcas Mukhwana, the widowed wife, said the deceased had been invited by the couple. She emphasized that he was an innocent man earning a living in an honorable manner.
“Just like any other day when he is going out to work, he did not disclose to me where he was heading. However, when he failed to return home after two days I got suspicious because it was unlike him,” Ms Mukhwana said.
Upon discovering the presence of the witch doctor in the village, enraged residents reportedly stormed the home where he was allegedly performing rituals. They attacked him with machetes, along with his hosts.
Villagers Accuse Witchdoctor of Mysterious Deaths and Bewitching Children
Some villagers who spoke anonymously to Nation attributed a series of mysterious deaths in the village to Ayub’s craft. They also accused him of bewitching their school-going children.
The elder brother of the deceased, Luka Lusweti, reported that they received information from a relative two days after Ayub had gone missing. The relative said Ayub’s lifeless body had been found in a bush in Malava.
“My brother was killed without any mistake. He was a family man trying to eke out a living. If his killers felt that he was involved in something illegal, they should have apprehended him and handed him over to the authorities instead of taking the law into their own hands,” Lusweti said as quoted by the media.
Reportedly, Ayub had often visited the home where he was killed to perform similar rituals. While the exact nature of the rituals he was conducting remains unclear, witchdoctors are typically believed to be healers who treat ailments attributed to witchcraft.
His uncle, Josiah Juma, insisted that Ayub was neither a killer nor a dangerous man. He emphasized, “There are several ways one can earn a living, and it’s acceptable in the laws of Kenya. My nephew was just doing his job, unfortunately, it cost him his life.”
Kakamega County Police Commander Joseph Kigen confirmed the incident, stating that his officers had initiated an investigation into the matter.
He assured that those who lynched the trio would soon be brought to justice. Subsequently, the three bodies were transferred to the Kakamega County Referral Hospital mortuary, pending a postmortem examination.
