Police shield men accused of causing men’s genitals to disappear in a house in Soweto, Nyali subcounty, on June 19
Police in Matsangoni, Kilifi county, are searching for a man who on Friday claimed his private parts were made to disappear by another man through witchcraft.
The allegations led to the accused being subjected to mob injustice by an angry crowd.In the process, another man lost his life.
In a hilarious twist, both the accuser and the accused had to put aside their differences and work together, barricading themselves inside a nearby Galana petrol station, to escape the wrath of the angry mob.
“We are tired of these stupid allegations. We wanted to ascertain if it is true that the private parts are gone, but the complainant refused to show us.
“That is why we wanted to discipline him and the person who did that to him. Because there must be something to make someone accuse you of practising witchcraft,” an irate member of the public said.
The wife of the man who allegedly cast a spell on the other reported the matter at the Matsangoni police station, and police quickly moved to the Galana petrol station where the two enemies-turned-partners-in-danger had barricaded themselves.
The officers surrounded the petrol station, trying to secure the duo.
This made the crowd angry and they started pelting the police officers and the Galana petrol station with stones.They overpowered the officers and caused extensive damage to the petrol station.
Reinforcement from the Kilifi police station came but was not enough for the growing angry crowd, who by now had inexplicably turned their anger on motorists along the Malindi-Lamu highway, stoning cars and lighting bonfires on the highway.
A massive traffic snarl-up ensued, prompting further reinforcement from other police stations including Ngerenya, Malindi’s Gede, Kilifi North Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Kilifi Prison and Kilifi North Administration Police who finally managed to disperse the crowd and restore traffic flow.
However, by this time, Matsangoni police station officer-in-charge Dennis Mwakona’s private car had been burnt completely by the angry mob as he bravely tried to protect the two.
The accused witchcraft man was later arrested and booked at the Matsangoni police station, and claimed he had lost Sh100,000 during the incident.
The alleged victim, who complained his private parts had been made to disappear, escaped and is still at large.
Police say there was a reported death during the incident.
“Later, it was reported from Matsangoni dispensary that there was an unknown casualty who had succumbed during the incident, where the body was taken to Kilifi County General Hospital mortuary for preservation and postmortem,” a police signal read.
Kilifi North DCI boss Corporal Baraza said they are searching for the man who started all the mess.
This comes as Coast regional criminal investigations officer Benson Kasyoki dismissed as false and baseless the rumours about reported cases of disappearing body parts, especially the male private parts, in Kwale, Kilifi and Mombasa counties.
Kasyoki said the allegations are a hoax, with criminals exploiting the rumours on social media to create public panic, incite violent mob justice and rob unsuspecting citizens
“What we are witnessing is just a tactic by criminals calculated to distract members of the public so that they can rob them,” Kasyokisaid.
He asked the public to stop circulating the unverified claims on TikTok and WhatsApp.
He urged residents of Kwale, Mombasa and Kilifi counties to remain calm and report any related information to police.
“So far, we have received 19 incidents. Seventeen of those incidents are pending before court while the others are being investigated,” Kasyokisaid.
At least three people have lost their lives over such allegations since they started in June.
