Case file · Witch trials
Killings of older people in Kilifi
A 2025 study by the Kenyan rights group Haki Yetu counted 93 older people killed in Kilifi County in a single year, with witchcraft accusations, land and family property disputes the main causes.
2025 CE · -3.63, 39.85 · status: official
The account
On the Kenyan coast, grey hair or red eyes from cooking smoke can be enough to mark an elderly person as a witch, and relatives who want their land are often behind the accusation. Victims are usually hacked to death. Local committees, churches and police have campaigned against the killings for more than a decade.
The sceptical view
Investigators see the 'witchcraft' as a pretext in most cases, and families often refuse to help the police.