Residents of Katyethoka village, Kitui Central, were yesterday left astonished after witnessing a rare and shocking incident of man-turned-herbivorous.
This was after a middle-aged servant suspected of stealing Sh4,000 from his master started eating grass and tree leaves near Katyethoka market.
The man, who could not be identified immediately as he does not come from the area, was found gulping grass and green leaves by traders and shoppers at around 10 am.
A large crowd immediately gathered to witness the bizarre scene with some claiming that he had been bewitched.
The rare spectacle attracted curious wananchi some of whom had travelled from as far as Kitui town, a few kilometers away, to witness the grass-chewing incident firsthand.
They alleged that the man had earlier denied stealing the cash from his boss’s house and that the master had warned him of facing dire consequences if he was culpable.
“It seems the master made good his threat as it is the only viable explanation as to why the servant got bedazzled and started feeding on grass like cattle,” said one of the traders.
Interestingly, others opined that the man’s ordeal would serve as a deterrent example to other like-minded servants besides being the “best way” to punish culprits.
“Servants have increasingly taken to stealing from their masters from time to time and they should be warned that their actions could attract grave consequences,” they warned.
It took the intervention of the police to disperse the huge crowd that had grown around the grass-eating man with some “feeding” him tree leaves but they could offer no extra help to the poor servant as he was apparently under the effect of a potent spell.
They later took him to Kitui Central police station as they sought the man believed to have invoked the black magic to disenchant his victim. The locals, however, claimed the “punisher” had since switched his phone off and could not be traced.