A house of fire/PHOTO Courtesy

By MN Reporter

A family in Uriri Constituency of Migori County spent a cold night yesterday after a mob torched their home on accusation of killing 15 relatives through witchcraft.

Mzee Ouma Seka, his wife, son David Odhiambo , wife and four children had to spent a night at St. Mary’s Uriri Catholic church after an irate mob pounced on their home burning four houses with all personal belongings intact.

The family also lost several chickens and a German shepherd dog that were all collected from the compound and thrown into the burning houses.

Trouble for the family unfolded after a re-known Tanzanian spiritualist, referred only as Prophet Ogwang’, allegedly found an embalmed human arm believed to have been used by the family for ages to kill their relatives.

According to eye-witnesses, after the embalmed human arm was nabbed from one of the family house, the mob went wild threatening to kill the alleged owners,.

Armed security team from Uriri police station to shoot in the air and use teargas to rescue the family from the irate mob that were baying to lynch them alongside their houses and property.

However, 87-year-old Mzee Seka and his equally aging wife were injured in the melee before police rushed them to uriri dispensary where they were treated and discharged.

Earlier, Prophet Ogwang’ who had spent the previous night in the nieghbourhood praying and foretelling deaths of more relatives in the hands of the accused sorcerers, had insisted to unearth and remove the paraphernalia in the presence of police officers, a request that the village mob agreed.

The besieged family had been accused of being responsible for the deaths of close family relatives, the latest being a teenage son who was buried a day to the bizarre incident.

Uriri sub county OCPD Daniel Mwanzia said they had launched investigations into the incident and will take appropriate action against the perpetrators.

However, a group of villagers accused the Tanzanian Prophet of causing mayhem in every village he goes and warned him to stop his antics of incitements against innocent people.

Last year, the same prophet was banned from setting his foot in Suna East sub county of Migori where he led to burning of a home at witharaga village through his witchcraft prophesies.