The Kisii witch trials were a series of events that took place in the Kisii District of Kenya in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These trials were characterized by a wave of violence and killings directed towards individuals who were believed to be witches or involved in witchcraft activities. The trials were fueled by superstition, fear, and rumors, as well as societal and cultural beliefs surrounding witchcraft. The belief in witchcraft is deeply rooted in many African cultures, including the Kisii community. It is often seen as a way to explain misfortune, illness, or other unfortunate events. Witchcraft is believed to be practiced by individuals who possess supernatural powers to harm or control others.

Culture : Kenyan Villagers’ Suspicions, Fears Spark Deadly Witch Hunt : Evil lurks beneath the tranquil facade of two highland districts, where vigilantes have burned to death 44 men and women accused of practicing harmful witchcraft.

A fertile oasis nestled in the highlands of western Kenya, Kisii District is a farmer’s paradise. Its flourishing countryside boasts seven-foot cornstalks, trees laden with bananas and endless acres of tea plantations.

But beneath the tranquil facade, a phenomenon reminiscent of the Salem witch trials in late 17th-Century Massachusetts has plunged the close-knit Gusii tribe into a murderous frenzy.

Since last July, 44 men and women accused of practicing witchcraft have been burned to death in Kisii and neighboring Nyamira districts, according to police officials. In most cases, they said, village mobs several hundred strong locked the victims inside thatch-roof houses and set them on fire.

Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi has publicly denounced the killings and warned that vigilante witch hunters will be prosecuted for murder. He also appealed to Kisii residents to report suspected witches to the police. Under a colonial law still on the books, anyone convicted of using black magic to cause fear or injury can be sentenced to as many as five years in prison.

But despite more than 50 arrests in connection with the burnings, the killings have continued at an average of almost one a week.

The fact that witchcraft has deep roots in some African societies is nothing new. Good luck, as well as disease and death, are often attributed to the supernatural.

College students, professional athletes and even members of Parliament have been known to consult witch doctors for answers to their physical and metaphysical ills. This holds true even though many Kenyans are practicing Christians and Muslims.

According to Gusii beliefs, there are two kinds of witches: those who use their supernatural powers to perform good deeds and those who use black magic to harm others. What makes Kisii so unusual is the backlash against people suspected of practicing the dark arts for evil purposes.

“People have become hysterical about it, but they can’t give you any concrete reason why except to say that these witches are instilling fear in people,” said Kisii District Commissioner Harry Wamubeyi. “Most of the people killed were in their fifties, sixties and seventies who had been living in the community for all these years. So why, all of a sudden, do people think they are witches?”

He and other community leaders have searched in vain for an answer.

Some blame a worsening economy for heightened tensions. The district’s growth in population, fast approaching 1 million, has led to land shortages, while at the same time youth unemployment has reached record levels.

But economics alone cannot explain the sudden hysteria that has left dozens of people dead and driven hundreds more from their ancestral homes.

The most recent victim was Michira Amoro, 25.

According to police, he was at home with his wife on July 12 when a mob encircled his house late at night and doused it with gasoline. His wife, who police now say is among a dozen suspects in the case, allegedly fled. Then, police said, the attackers set the house ablaze.

On a recent afternoon, Amoro’s father, Zebeyo, sifted through the charred shell of what was once his son’s two-bedroom home. Several burned human bones were visible amid the scorched cooking utensils.

The 55-year-old tea picker insists that neighbors murdered his son over a business deal. Seven years ago, he said, Michira joined a group of 60 villagers who agreed to pool their resources to build new homes. As part of the arrangement, each member would receive enough strips of iron sheet to build a new house.

But when it came time for Michira to get his, the father said, the other members reneged. He said there had been bad feelings between the former business partners ever since.

However, according to police, the suspects arrested on suspicion of murdering Michira assert that he was among a group of witches who abducted a 13-year-old boy on his way to school and bewitched him.

The boy’s parents told police that when their son was released several hours later, he was unable to speak. They said they found out what happened when their son drew pictures describing the encounter, police said.

But like the suspects in the other burning cases, the boy’s parents had no evidence to support their allegations, police said.

Most of those murdered were harmless elderly people whose only crime appears to have been incurring the jealousy of a family member or neighbor, local officials said. Even close relatives have taken to accusing one another of witchcraft in a deadly payback for past injuries.

“They haven’t had any proof at all that these people were witches,” said District Police Officer W. S. Ongayo, noting that many of the victims were successful members of the community. “But in the current climate, the only thing someone has to do to activate the village psychology against you is to call you a witch.”

It is quite easy to do because for many Gusii, witchcraft is very much a reality.

There are “night-runners” thought to inspire terror by banging on doors and roofs. According to believers, these witches make riramata , a poisonous concoction derived from local herbs. By blowing the ash into a person’s home, believers maintain, the witch causes the inhabitants to die.

Other suspected witches have been rumored to hide human body parts in their homes and steal corpses from graves.

In Kisii and coastal areas like Mombasa, beliefs in the supernatural are particularly strong.

“Our people don’t believe that someone can die without there being some witchcraft involved,” said Father Thomas Menge, head of the Sengere Catholic parish which includes about 15,000 followers.

Clementsia Biyaka, 58, was the first.

According to police, she was roused from her bed a year ago, marched into a nearby granary and burned alive.

But the most infamous killings occurred in early January when witch hunters burned four men and three women during a weekend, police said.

According to tribal elders, the Gusii have always executed people found to be witches.

Sanslaus Anunda, a 99-year-old tribal elder, said that during his youth villagers had a foolproof method for determining guilt. First, he said, the most respected men in the community would call a meeting. Next, they would smear local herbs on the hands of the suspect and that of a second, innocent man.

Both men would be ordered to dip their hands into a pot of boiling water, then return in five days time, Anunda said.

If the suspect was a witch, burns would appear on his hands. However, Anunda insists, the innocent man’s hands would remain unscarred.

“The witch would then be stoned to death on the spot,” Anunda said. “But nowadays, they’re killing people without knowing if the person is a witch or not.”

'Witch' Burnings Haunt Kenyan Tribe

This mound of earth is the only evidence left of a house that was destroyed during the May 21 killings in Kisii. The owner has reportedly fled the community.

Enoch Obiero stands in front of the house he is rebuilding. In May, a mob burned the previous house to ashes. His wife, who was killed in the attack, is buried nearby. Gwen Thompkins/NPR hide caption

Enoch Obiero stands in front of the house he is rebuilding. In May, a mob burned the previous house to ashes. His wife, who was killed in the attack, is buried nearby.

Onyango Nyakundi is a shoemaker and a witch doctor in southwestern Kenya. He says his concoctions of herbs and other treatments heal a wide variety of ailments. "Believers heal faster than nonbelievers," Nyakundi says. Gwen Thompkins/NPR hide caption

Onyango Nyakundi is a shoemaker and a witch doctor in southwestern Kenya. He says his concoctions of herbs and other treatments heal a wide variety of ailments. "Believers heal faster than nonbelievers," Nyakundi says.

In much of Africa, people believe in some form of witchcraft. Just recently, soccer fans in the Democratic Republic of Congo accused a player of using black magic at a game. The ensuing riot killed more than a dozen people.

In Tanzania and Ghana, belief in the magical powers of albinos and hunchbacks has reportedly led to a rash of killings this year.

In May, 11 people died in a "witch" burning in southwestern Kenya, but questions linger over whether neighbors in that particular region of Kenya believed the people killed were witches.

The burning took place in a farming area in the lush southwestern reaches of the country, dominated by the Kisii tribe. News of the incident made headlines in Kenya, but there was little surprise among the general public.

That's because Kisiis are known to believe more fervently in the power of witchcraft than any other tribe in the land. And among the Kisiis, reprisals against witchcraft reportedly are getting more and more violent.

A Book Of Names

Local authorities say that in May, a security guard turned over a suspicious notebook he found at a school. The notebook reportedly listed the names of local witches and the minutes of their meetings. But before turning over the book to the authorities, residents of the area apparently copied down the names. Over a two-day period, a mob cut down 11 mostly retired and elderly people and burned their homes to cinders.

Enoch Obiero, a Pentecostal minister, says the mob came to his door and dismembered his wife, a retired schoolteacher. He claims that jealous relatives paid the killers.

"They didn't even come to the funeral," Obiero said. "It is not easy to forgive someone who has done you such a terrible thing."

The authorities say they have arrested more than 100 people in the burnings, but whether they will successfully prosecute any of the suspects is unclear.

It is rare for people in this insular farming community to testify against one another, for fear of revenge attacks. Instead, many protect themselves by visiting witch doctors like Onyango Nyakundi.

No Such Thing As A Good Witch

For 40 years, Nyakundi has been using herbs and a little bloodletting to shield his customers from being bewitched. And for about $20 a visit, he says he can cure anything from a headache to cancer.

"The person who does not believe in that is just living a life in denial," Nyakundi said. He added that people cry "witch" for any number of reasons. Sometimes, they really believe that a witch is in their midst. But sometimes, he says, accusations are made to settle petty scores.

To understand what happened in May, it is vital to understand a core value in the Kisii region and among many believers in black magic: They say there is no such thing as a good witch.

Kenyan witch-hunt targets elders

The video contains some disturbing images Dozens of villagers in the Kenyan district of Kisii are falling prey to superstitious groups accusing them of witchcraft. The poverty-stricken western district, known as Kenya’s sorcery belt, has seen an increase in mob attacks on individuals and even killings. The poor and elderly in particular are being targeted. Three months ago, a group of youths tortured five suspected witches before setting them on fire. Joseph Ondiek’s 65-year-old mother was one of those killed. He says says he and his family are living in constant fear and cannot even think about getting justice for their mother’s killing. “Our neighbours call us witches. We have no friends around and we are fearful,” he says. “I am also forced to go as far as possible from my village in search of jobs. No one who knows me will offer me any work.” Deeply rooted tradition Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow, reporting from Kisii, says witchcraft remains deeply rooted within the community despite the brutal killings. “Every ailment, misfortune or trouble is blamed on sorcery. Some say even success here is attributed to witchcraft,” he says. “Lobby groups for the elderly have set up shop here to try and stop the targeting of senior citizens, spreading the message that burning of suspected witches is not an answer to sorcery.” Harrison Nyaribo, 70, had his home razed by a mob on a witch-hunt. He was accused of practising witchcraft, but says the attack on his home had other motives. “I have never been engaged in sorcery. All this is is envy,” he says. “My children are all grown up, educated and have good jobs. I am also one of few people here who have stone buildings. This is the work of envious people.”

Witchcraft is believed to be practiced by individuals who possess supernatural powers to harm or control others. In the Kisii District, accusations of witchcraft were often tied to sudden deaths, accidents, or other unexplained events. During the witch trials, individuals suspected of witchcraft were often subjected to violent mob justice.

They were beaten, tortured, and in some cases, killed. The trials often involved public gatherings, where accusations were made, and the accused were paraded, humiliated, and sometimes murdered in front of bystanders. These acts of violence were carried out by ordinary members of the community, who believed that they were protecting their families and communities from the perceived danger of witchcraft. The witch trials had a devastating impact on the Kisii community. Trust within the community was shattered, as neighbors turned against each other and families were torn apart. Fear and suspicion became rampant, leading to the creation of a climate of violence and hostility. The trials also exposed the deep-rooted inequalities and social tensions within the community, as certain individuals were more likely to be targeted based on their social status, wealth, or personal conflicts with others. The authorities initially struggled to contain the violence and hold the perpetrators accountable. However, as the trials gained national and international attention, efforts were made to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the crimes. The government and non-governmental organizations, such as human rights groups and community-based organizations, worked together to raise awareness about the dangers of witchcraft accusations and promote social cohesion and reconciliation within the affected communities. The Kisii witch trials serve as a powerful reminder of the dangers of superstition, fear, and mob justice. They highlight the need for education, awareness, and dialogue to address deeply ingrained cultural beliefs and promote tolerance and understanding within communities. Furthermore, they demonstrate the importance of strong institutions and mechanisms to protect individuals from unfounded accusations and ensure justice and accountability for victims of violence. Efforts have been made to document and learn from the lessons of the Kisii witch trials to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. Awareness campaigns, legal reforms, and community engagement programs have been implemented to address the root causes of the trials and promote a culture of inclusivity, respect, and human rights..

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The Impact of Colonialism on the Kisii Witch Trials