KISII, Kenya – Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has attributed the recent killings of elderly people in the Gusii region to land succession wrangles rather than witchcraft, as often claimed.
Speaking in Kisii on Friday, Murkomen said younger generations were using accusations of witchcraft as a pretext to eliminate their elders in order to inherit land.
“There are many cases of murder in this region. Reports of older people engaged in witchcraft are allegations that have no basis. The real truth is that younger people are eliminating their elders so that they can quickly inherit land,” the CS said.
Murkomen announced that the Ministry of Lands is reviewing ways to speed up land succession processes and emphasized that land consolidation was critical to easing the pressures of fragmentation.
“Land fragmentation has created pressure. If there is a county at risk of becoming a slum in 20 or 30 years, it is this one,” he cautioned.
The CS further urged the region to embrace the government’s affordable housing programme, noting that relocating prisons from Kisii’s central business district would free up land for housing projects that could serve as a model for urban planning.
He also encouraged Kenyans to adopt public cemeteries for burials as a way of reducing the strain on land resources.
At the same time, Murkomen raised concern over rising cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in western Kenya, warning that most perpetrators were family members.
He directed chiefs to intensify awareness campaigns to encourage survivors to speak out.
The CS also touched on preparations for upcoming by-elections and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling drug and substance abuse across the country.
