Four jailed for 135 years for lynching grannies over witchcraft claims in Kisii

The three men and a minor who were found guilty of the gruesome killing of four elderly women in Marani, Kisii County four years ago have been jointly sentenced to 135 years behind bars.

Nyakundi Amos Ondieki, Evans Ogeto Okari, Hesbon Ong'ondi Gichana, and Chrispine Makworo committed the offense on October 17, 2021, as part of a mob that lynched the elderly women—Jemima Miranga, 60, Agnes Ototo, 57, Sigara Onkware, 62, and Sindege Mayaka—on allegations of practicing witchcraft.

During the ruling delivered on Wednesday by High Court Judge Waweru Kiarie, Ondieki, Okari, and Gichana were each sentenced to 40 years in prison, while Makworo—Ondieki’s son—was sentenced to 15 years after the court established that he was still a minor at the time of the incident.

Moments after the judgment, affected families and human rights organizations expressed their satisfaction with the final verdict.

“I am pleased with today’s ruling. The affected families have been going through a lot,” Bosire Mayaka, the late Sindege Mayaka’s son, said.

“As human rights activists, we welcome the verdict; justice has been served. Let this serve as a warning to those who take the law into their own hands,”, Utu Organisation Representative, Hellen Kiriama, added.

The convicts, however, disagreed with the judgment and sentence and their families’ expressed frustration, stating that the ruling was against their expectations.

“I’m not pleased with the ruling. Out of more than 250 people they decided to jail these four,” Christine Ondieki, Amos Ondieki's mother, said.

The convicts’ families are now contemplating an appeal.