Four years ago, Mbanda, a tiny village in the depths of Kisii county gained attention after the gruesome murders of four elderly women over allegations of witchcraft. Prior to their deaths, Sabina Sindege (85), Agnes Moraa Ototo (57), Jemimah Nyang'ate Mironga (60) and Sigara Onkware (62) were normal elderly people living their lives in the confines of the rural homes, where serenity and peace surrounded them.

Christopher Bosire Mayaka recalls the day when a group of young men stormed his mother’s house before they doused paraffin on her body and burnt her to death. The curse of grey hair: What really happened in Mbanda?

On October 17, 2021, Bosire’s mother, Sabina Sindege’s was at her home grazing her cows around her compound when 11 young men arrived. While one of the youths was dousing parain on his mother’s body, others were removing items from her house.

And when he tried to question whatever they were doing, two of the assailants attacked him with a machete, leaving a deep cut on his head.

“They left me on the ground while bleeding and unconscious, dragged my mother from the homestead and lynched her about 200 metres away from our home," he recalls.

But why would the old become a target of elderly killings? Mayaka reveals that her mother used to rear cows and some villagers envied her progress. At that particular time, she had suffered from brucellosis (a bacterial infection from animals to humans through contaminated dairy products) which then forced her to sell a cow at Sh22,000 for her to get treatment.

Some of the villagers knew she had sold the cow and she expressed her fears that there were people who wanted to kill her and take the mone. Mayaka says on that fateful day, they stole the money from her purse which she had tucked inside her bra.

Stole from her

“Before they killed her, they stole the money despite her hiding it on her undergarment.

They later claimed that she had bewitched someone, but that was a lie. My mother was killed because he had healthy cows that used to give her a lot of cash whenever she sold milk.There was nothing like witchcraft, it was just jealousy,” he says.

Few kilometers away, Geoffrey Ototo’s mother, Agnes Moraa had also fallen victim to the onslaught that had been launched against the elderly people in this area.

At the compound, mud houses where Moraa used to live still stand in weary defiance of time, their cracked walls revealing the toll of neglect, maybe out of fear or anger of what it had witnessed four years ago.

The 42-year-old son reveals that his mother was killed over a land tussle pitting his mother and their neighbours.

Prior to the killing, Ototo’s father had died mysteriously, leaving his mother to fight off her neighbours who were baying for their land.

According to him, contrary to allegations that his mother was a witch, Ototo says she had a mental problem and the villagers knew her condition, as at times, she would sell family properties to them. He says prior to her mother's killing, witchcraft was unheard of in their locality and it was the firsttime grey-haired women were branded witches and silenced.

"On that particular day, they stormed my mother's house where one of the youths hit her on the head and others pushed her into fire. She pleaded for mercy but all her cries fell on deaf ears," Ototo notes.

Ototo reveals that due to the allegations levelled against his mother that saw her killed, villagers and family members refused to take part in her funeral.

“I believe my mother was killed due to a land tussle between my family and our neighbours. We had tried to solve the matter for many years but all our efforts were in vain,” he remarks.

Peninah Kerubo, a clan elder describes Moraa as a humble woman who was peaceful, adding that she was not a witch as alleged by some villagers who silenced her.

False accusations

The elder says these elderly women were falsely accused and later killed without enough evidence linking them to the said witchcraft activities.

“Those who killed these women were youths who abused drugs and illicit brew. It's their addiction that led them to committing such heinous,” Kerubo states.

In both murders, it was clear that witchcraft had been used as an excuse to murder women who were well into their old age.

Various people had been arrested and prosecuted over the same.

And this month, four people, including a father and his son were sentenced to 135 years in prison after they were found guilty of murdering the four granies.

Justice Waweru Kiarie sentenced Amos Nyakundi, Evans Ogeto, and Hesborn Gichana to 40 years each while Chrispine Makworo was sentenced to 15 years since the crime was committed while her was a minor.

In his judgement, Justice Kiarie says the beliefs and practices of witchcraft have remained deeply rooted in certain parts of the country, despite advancements in education and religious influence and Kisii has stood out as one of the regions where such practices have continued to persist.

However, elderly women have continued to be primary targets of these brutal acts.

“There is need for thorough investigations to understand the underlying reasons behind these targeted attacks,” he says. The judge says, there is need for urgent intervention to protect the elderly and ensure that they can live their old age in peace and dignity.

He says the authorities need to take decisive action against those perpetrating violence under the guise of eliminating witches and one way to do so is through community education to dispel harmful myths and cultural misconceptions that fuel such killings.

“No one should face persecution based on superstition and that every citizen deserves protection under the law,” he notes. Hellen Kiriama, a human rights activist under the aegis of Haki na Umoja Utu Coalition stresses that there is need to protect aging and elderly persons from people who would want to use their personal hatred to harm them. She says old age and graying hair is not a disease and therefore they shouldn't be treated with contempt.

“Old age is inevitable. Kenyans need to respect elderly persons and protect them as they age gracefully,” Kiriama states.

And even though the culprits responsible for the murder of the four granies in Kisii were finally convicted, Pastor Daniel Ogede says killing of elderly people over witchcraft accusations remains a major problem across hte country.

Protecting their own

He says even though religious groups and civil societies are stepping in to educate communities to stop these killings, much attention should come from the government through establishing right policies which will protect them.

“The government should also step in and protect all people aged 50 and above,” he adds.

As others wait for the government to protect their aging kin, other families are taking matters on their own hands by taking them to "nyumba za wazee" in Nairobi where their safetyis guaranteed.

“These efforts aim to ensure that elderly people can live in peace without fear.

We hope that with education and legal action, such killings will finally come to an end," says the pastor.