Six people are dead following a witchcraft related incident in Nyang’ao village in Rongo, Migori county.
This is after villagers torched houses at a homestead they linked to having bewitched one Joel Awuonda in a revenge attack.
According to Rongo Police boss Kibet Kirui four family members escaped the ordeal and are nursing serious burn wounds ar Migori Referral Hospital.
Trouble started when Joel Awuonda was attacked by one Omondi with a panga following a protracted family squabble.
Omondi was jailed for 12 years by Rongo Magistrate Court in December last year.
Awuonda was then verbally warned of serious consequences by Elijah Dwallo for leading to the jailing of his son.
The allegedly bewitched Awuonda began falling ill yesterday prompting villagers to take him to the home of the family alleged to be behind his woes to heal him.
“Awuonda was complaining that he was dying as he was writhing in pain, villagers took him to Dwallo’s family for him to be healed, but the family refused,” said Mary Atieno villager.
The villagers claimed that Dwallos mother Maritha Amollo, 80, was a witch and was responsible for Awuonda’s problems.
“They refused and said the pain and looming death was a result of the jail term of their son,” Atieno said.
In anger villagers slashed Dwallo with panga and attempted to lynch him with crude weapons before he escaped into nearby sugarcane plantations.
They set the homestead on fire killing Amollo, Dwallo’s wife Helida Akinyi, 40, and their children. One in classes seven, three and another in nursery school.
Awuonda also died from the alleged witchcraft.
The six bodies were taken to Rosewood mortuary in Rongo town.
Police who arrived at the scene are trying to locate a eight years old girl from the family if she was either burnt beyond recognition or escaped.
“So far we have not made any arrests but we are following leads and we will make arrests soon,” Kirui said.
