NAIROBI, Swpt 13 (NNN-KBC) — Kenya’s Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has attributed the recent killings of elderly people in the Gusii region to succession-related land disputes, dismissing claims of witchcraft as mere cover-ups.
Murkomen stated that many of the victims are targeted by relatives seeking to inherit land prematurely.
“Reports of older people engaging in witchcraft are baseless. The truth is that some youths are eliminating their elders to grab land,” he revealed.
He noted that the Ministry of Lands is working on measures to expedite succession processes. At the same time, he made a case for land consolidation, warning that unchecked fragmentation could turn the region into “a slum in the next 20 to 30 years.”
To ease pressure on land, Murkomen urged residents to embrace the government’s Affordable Housing Programme. He indicated that there are plans to relocate prisons from town centres to make way for modern housing projects.
He also called on families to use public cemeteries instead of private burials, stating that this would help preserve arable land.
The CS further expressed concern over the rising cases of defilement and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Western Kenya, directing local chiefs to encourage victims to speak out, as most perpetrators are family members. — NNN-KBC
