The fight against the killing of elderly people on witchcraft allegations in Kilifi County has been bolstered as plans to construct rescue centres for them in are underway.
While launching ‘Uzee si Uchawi’ campaign program on Thursday at Rabai in Kilifi county, Haki Yetu, a non-governmental organisation, said that it would partner with the county and national government to build the rescue centres to discourage the rampant killings.
Speaking at the launch, Haki Yetu coordinator Julius Wanyama said a rescue centre is the only better option remaining to save the elderly from such treatment.
"We cannot go on discriminating the elderly people by calling someone a witch. In Kilifi [it] is like calling for his/her death for residents here are brainwashed that whoever is alleged to be [practising] witchcraft is destined to die,” Wanyama said.
Addressing the press after the launch, Kilifi County Commissioner Magu Mutindika threatened to sack chiefs in the county for sleeping on the cases involving the murder of the elderly.
“I want to tell Chiefs, Assistants Chiefs and village elders who are not helping anything in solving these cases that they will lose their jobs,” said Mutindika.
Residents, at the campaign launch, revealed that chiefs had not been engaging police in the murder cases, hence resorting to single-handedly arbitrate the cases among the affected families in the villages where justice is never served.
Rabai and Magarini constituencies have been mentioned as leading constituencies with the highest number of cases of the elderly being killed over witchcraft allegations in Kilifi County.
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