Kenyan mob burns 11 'witches' to death

Published on Wednesday 21 May 2008 22:24

A MOB has burned to death at least 11 people accused of witchcraft in Kenya.

"Their houses were torched. Eight women and three men suspected of being witches died," said Charles Owino, Kenya's deputy police spokesman. Residents in the Kisii district in the west of the country said an enraged crowd had gone from house to house on Tuesday.

"They burned them alive in their homes," one said. Those killed were mainly aged between 70 and 90.

Police drafted extra personnel into the area to prevent revenge attacks in a region already reeling from tribal killings during Kenya's post-election crisis. Traditional African beliefs, Christianity and Islam co-exist peacefully in Kenya. But there is widespread suspicion of sorcery, particularly in west Kenya, which has a long tradition of witch doctors and faith healers.