By Betty Luke
The government has been asked to expedite investigations into a series of attacks targeting elderly women in Marsabit county on suspicion of practicing witchcraft.
Defenders’ Coalition wants the suspected Morans behind the attacks arrested and prosecuted for the offence.
A 60-year-old Magret Aleya Esimonte was killed last Sunday after a traditional medicine man who had been tasked to identify witches within a Manyatta inhabited by the Rongumo clan listed her and Ms Wareheya Sahado who is nursing serious injuries in hospital.
Immediately after the information was shared, Morans descended on Ms Esimonte who was later rescued and taken to a nearby health facility by well-wishers but later succumbed to the severe injuries.
She was buried at a public cemetery in Kargi Tuesday this week.
Tension has been building up in the area with the community members worried about other people who could have been mentioned in the shared list.
Defenders Coalition Executive Director Kamau Ngugi has called on the State to declare violence against elderly women a national concern and ensure justice to the victims.
“We are deeply saddened by the rise in the killing of women in Kenya while the authorities remain mum about it. The incidents are clear evidence of the price women pay for simply being women. Such must be condemned,” Mr Ngugi noted.
Samburu Women Trust executive Jane Meruwas expressed fear that if not tamed, more women could fall victim to the barbaric act that was not only a criminal offence but a violation of human rights.
The human rights defenders have called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigation to expedite investigations into the incidents and the Inspector General of Police to ensure the protection of pastoralist women against similar incidents.
The incident comes against the backdrop of rising incidents of femicide in Kenya, with more than 20 women reported to have been brutally murdered in the last seven weeks.
Human Rights crusaders say the cases could be higher due to underreporting.
