- Image by wwarby via Flickr
Digirikani resident Kwekwe Tayari is receiving treatment in the Coast Provincial General Hospital after her nephew and lodger severed her hand with a type of machete known as a panga.
Tayari’s nephew had previously threatened violence, blaming his poor health on her witchcraft. On Saturday he attacked her and her son, Ramadhan Tayari, who attempted to rescue her before fleeing the scene.
Mombasa police have launched a manhunt.
The belief in black magic and witchcraft is still prevalent in Kenya. Poor health, disease and insantiy are commonly blamed on local women.
Digirikani is a district of coastal Mwakirunge and has been suffering chronic food shortages since January.
In Pure Spirit
These stories are tragic. It seems far from unlikely that the food shortage or poor sanitary conditions rather than witchcraft are responsible for the man’s poor health. Rather than being an evil witch, Tayari in fact kept her nephew as a lodger despite his threats.
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