A tragic and horrific act of mob violence rocked the village of Duka Moja in Kakamega County yesterday, claiming the lives of three people. An elderly couple, Arnold Ambuchi (59) and Seraphine Muloki (54), along with a visiting witch doctor, Ayub Lusweti (60), were brutally attacked and killed by enraged villagers fueled by suspicions of witchcraft.
Reports detail a grim scene of the mob storming the Ambuchis’ home after discovering Lusweti’s presence. The ensuing attack, armed with machetes, swiftly turned fatal for all three individuals.
Motives behind the violence remain shrouded in speculation. Whispers among anonymous villagers linked Lusweti to recent village deaths and accused him of harming children through witchcraft. However, these claims faced vehement denials from the deceased’s family.
Josiah Juma, the couple’s uncle, staunchly defended Lusweti, stating that the accusations were baseless and that the witch doctor simply practiced his trade within the confines of the law. His widow, Dorcas Mukhwana, tearfully echoed these sentiments, affirming her husband’s innocence and describing their visit to the Ambuchis as a routine ritual practice.
Luka Lusweti, the deceased witch doctor’s brother, expressed deep frustration over the brutal extrajudicial killing. He emphasized that while Lusweti’s practices might have raised eyebrows, resorting to violence without any formal investigation or due process was an unacceptable transgression.
The tragedy has drawn condemnation from Kakamega County police commander Joseph Kigen, who assured a thorough investigation and swift justice for those responsible. The victims’ bodies remain at the Kakamega County Referral Hospital mortuary, awaiting postmortem examinations.
Stories that inspire generations. Stories of goodwill that positively impacts on the society. This is one of those stories.
In Kakamega, like in most sections of the republic, health facilities are stretched. Basic health services may sometimes be long distances away, often demanding long travel. It’s always a blessing to have reliable, efficient health services within reach – especially maternal health care.
An incubator, a part of the medical equipment donated to Kakamega County Hospital by Mozzart.
Kakamega residents have a reason to smile, thanks to Mozzart’s CSR initiative that’s spreading across the country.
Leading gaming company Mozzart on Thursday 4 February donated medical equipment worth Ksh 3 Million to the Kakamega County General Hospital.
“When Covid-19 was at its peak, Mozzart donated medical equipment worth Ksh 10 million to 10 counties and I received this as the then Chairman of the Council of Governors. They have continued to support the communities through other initiatives and this is commendable.” Kakamega County Governor, Wycliffe Oparanya
The donated equipment included hospital beds, bed side lockers, maternity delivery beds, patient stretchers, patient monitors, an oxygen concentrator, oxygen flow meter, nebulizers, blood pressure monitors and maternity MVA kits.
At hand to receive the equipment was Kakamega County Governor Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya who thanked Mozzart for the kind gesture.
Kakamega County Governor Wycliff Oparanya speaks during the handover ceremony at the facility.
“When Covid-19 was at its peak, Mozzart donated medical equipment worth Ksh 10 million to 10 counties and I received this as the then Chairman of the Council of Governors. They have continued to support the communities through other initiatives and this is commendable,” he said,
“In Kakamega they recently dug a borehole to provide clean water to the kids at Lurambi Primary School and the community around, they have sponsored Kakamega Homeboyz to the tune of Ksh 20 Million and have now donated very vital medical equipment to our hospital. We are very grateful for their support. As a county we are committed to providing quality healthcare and the equipment is a big boost to our efforts to improve service delivery.” He added.
Mozzart Country Manager Sasa Krenta said the company was committed to supporting Kenyan communities even more.
“We are happy to be in Kakamega once again; this feel like home now. We have a great partner in Kakamega Homeboyz and we were in Lurambi to commission a new water point for the community. We are delighted to donate vital medical equipment to Kakamega County General Hospital and hope this will make a great impact in the lives of the community around here,” Sasa said,
Mozzart Country Manager Sasa Krenta speaks during the handover event at the County Hospital.
“We have spent slightly over Ksh 50 Million so far on CSR programs and we are just getting started. We are very passionate about the well-being of Kenyans and will continue supporting key projects in Kenyan communities,” he added.
Between November 2020 and now, sixteen different hospitals have received essential medical equipment courtesy of Mozzart. The facilities include Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Ngara Health Centre, Chemolingot Sub County Hospital, Mathare North Health Centre, Kahawa West Health Centre, Kayole 1 Health Centre, Kayole 2 Sub County Hospital, Nyamache Sub-County Referral Hospital, Rachuonyo County Hospital, Dandora 1 Health Center, Mukuru Health Center and Dandora 2 Health Center.
More hospitals across the country are lined up to benefit in the coming weeks.
A baby born out of an incestuous relationship was saved from death in Kakamega County. The six-week-old baby was to be killed by elders for ritual cleansing.
The baby was born by a 15-year old standard seven pupil who was impregnated by her cousin. The pupil was lured into the incestuous relationship by her cousin who fled after learning about her pregnancy.
The child’s grandmother said neighbours and relatives had advised her to leave the baby at a hospital or a public place. She however decided to take it home with her.
Elders convene a meeting
Elders in Mavaka village in Lugari unanimously agreed the baby should be killed after they held a meeting. The elders said the baby invites bad omens to their families. Incest is considered a taboo in the area, it is believed any baby born out of it cannot live
The baby was still in the care of its grandmother when Matete children’s officer Jackson Murunga went to its rescue. The officer got wind of the plan to kill the baby and decided to take it with him.
The Matete children’s officer said he would take the baby to an orphanage.
