Students kill 70-year-old man over witchcraft claims

Administrators inspect suspected witchcraft paraphernalia unearthed during a raid in Langa Langa, Nakuru, on November 10, 2011. A man has been killed in Kwale County on accusations of practising witchcraft. PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Athman Bamama died after students descended on him just after performing his Friday prayers at the mosque, which is adjacent to his house.
  • The relative added that the decision was made after the management accused him of witchcraft as the students at the institution, especially female students, used to be disturbed by demons.

A 70-year-old man was on Friday killed by students outside Abubakar Integrated School’s mosque in Tsunguli Village in Matuga Sub-County, Kwale County.

Athman Bamama died after students descended on him just after performing his Friday prayers at the mosque, which is adjacent to his house.

The students are said to have hit Mr Bamama with huge sticks and stones, before fleeing the school compound.

Confirming the incident, area village elder Omar Mwamaisha said the incident happened at around 1:30pm.

Mr Mwamaisha said he was attracted by the noise of students who were shouting at the top of their voices.

He added that there was no one at the scene when he arrived at the Islamic institution. The old man’s lifeless was lying down in a pool of blood behind the mosque.

“I saw him lying on his face with marks on his head as if he had been beaten with a blunt objects like a stick or stone, with blood all over him,” he said.

Matuga police chief (OCPD) Patrick Oduma confirmed the incident, saying police officers have already launched investigation on circumstances which led to Mr Bamama’s death.

ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT

A relative who refused to be mentioned due to fear of victimisation said the old man used to work at the institution as a cleaner but the head teacher, Mohammed Mtulu, fired him.

The relative added that the decision was made after the management accused him of witchcraft as the students at the institution, especially female students, used to be disturbed by demons.

“I remember he once came to my house and told me that the head teacher and students do not want him at the institution. A few days later, he was sacked,” the relative said.

The police chief ruled out the possibility of closing the school over the death, saying it was not the first time in the country that someone had been killed over witchcraft allegations

“Mistakes do happen everywhere therefore we are only going to deal with the prime suspects and the decision to close the school will be made by the Ministry of Education,” he said.

The director of the institution, Masoud Mwandemba, arrived at the school hours later and was asked by detectives to explain where the head teacher was when the incident occurred.

Mr Mwandemba was not in a position to answer, saying he only called to inform the head teacher about the issue while he was holding a meeting in another institution in Likoni area.

“There must be somebody who was around when the incident occurred. I know that on Fridays the students normally break from classes at around 11:30am,” he said.

The deceased’s body was carried by detectives to Msambweni Referral Hospital mortuary.

The institution has previously had issues of radicalisation of youths and it has been on the police watch-list and several raids have been conducted in the past.