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Showing posts from September, 2009

Witch Lynching Exercise

Folks this is no snapshot from a horror movie but real-time event: a routine lynching exercise carried out to eliminate witches and wizards who are taught by many to be quite a problem. It is said suspected culprits are marked and warned over a period of time before the 'sungusungu strike". This exercise is practiced all over the larger Gusii region but is not often captured on camera as this. Usually it takes place after something bad bad has happened like death, exhuming bodies, strange illnesses, accidents and other strange happenings. Irate mobs; normally organized groups like the dreaded sungusungu carry out the tracking and burning alive of suspects with the blessing of locals. Their houses are torched, their property destroyed and relatives traumatized from threats and fear. Of late many questions have been asked concerning the legality of the whole exercise. First there are no investigations carried out, there is no judicial system where suspects and victims can appear...