A 94 year old suspected witchdoctor and his client have been arrested after the headless body of a nine year old girl was discovered in his goat shed in what is alleged to be a ritual sacrifice at Mpingo village ,Magutuni Sub-location, Maara Sub County , Tharaka Nithi County.
According to the angry villagers the girl Doreen Kagendi Kinegeni had gone to deliver milk to the home of the suspect Suleiman Mati’s home but was attacked with a panga, her chest opened up and her heart removed for an alleged sacrifice.
Her head was found alongside corpses of a goat and chicken that had been equally slaughtered, hearts removed and put in a boiling pot nearby.
“We have always heard he is a witch doctor and thought it was just a way of conning people off their money but we didn’t think it was to this extent, we are shocked and ask the police to let us deal with this evil man,” said one villager.
“The girl was in church with us when she left to take milk to the old man as usual only for us to hear a shriek and on running to the direction it came from we found her body already opened up, ” narrated another
The other suspect Michael Ngugi Riungu, 32 year old from a nearby Kariakomo village, is said to have visited Suleiman for his services and was found at the scene which was filled with witchcraft paraphernalia.
According to a police signal, the elderly suspect told the police it was his client who had committed the act after he found the deceased eating passion fruits from the scene.
It took police intervention to control the angry mob who were baying for their blood after which they took the body to Chuka Referral Hospital Mortuary for post mortem while the suspects have been put in custody awaiting charges.
Area MCA Jones Kinegeni expressed his shock over the outrageous occurrence while condemning the heinous act on an innocent child in the name of witchcraft.
“From the scene it is evident that a ritual had been carried out and I am shocked we have someone like this living amongst us for all those years, oblivious of the danger we and our children were being exposed to,” added the MCA.
He called upon the residents to always report such outlaws in the village to prevent similar occurrences while calling upon the police to speed up the investigations for the law to take its cause.
He also urged the residents to remain calm and to let the police carry out investigation without interfering with the scene.
