Police have launched a manhunt for a gang that stormed a village in Meru on Thursday night, killing and burning three people aged 70, 72 and 68 for allegedly engaging in witchcraft.
According to police reports the gang attacked and killed the three at Gitine village in Imenti South.
Fredrick Kaini Nkabu, 70, Samuel Mwamba, 72, and Zachary Kaburu, 68, were hacked to death before their bodies were set ablaze by the attackers.
Mweru Location Chief, Purity Kainyu, said the armed group stormed the village moving from one homestead to the next looking for the suspected witches.
The Administrator noted that the suspects were armed with crude weapons which they used to attack their victims before setting them ablaze.
“The gang attacked at wee hours of the night killing the suspected witches before setting them ablaze.
Kainyu alerted the police and Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) officers who rushed to the scene to assist villagers though the gang managed to flee.
The gangsters, however, got wind of the imminent arrest and left after killing the victims and torching their homes.
The victims’ bodies have been moved to Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital awaiting postmortem.
South Imenti Sub- County Police Commander, William Maronga, said his office will not rest till the suspects are brought to book. He said so far, no arrests have been made in connection to the killings. Maronga warned residents against taking the law into their hands.
“Let’s not take the law into our hands, give security personnel opportunity to perform their duty,” he said.
By Muguongo Judy
