Investigations into the death of a 77-year-old lady who was burnt to death by an angry mob over witchcraft claims circulating in the Embu East sub-county.
A few yards from her home in Runyenjes, Alice Kaguna's lifeless body was found on the side of the road on Tuesday morning at Gatumbi market.
According to witnesses, she was beaten to death by a crowd that discovered her in the early morning, burning her underpants outside her neighbour's gate.
Daniel Mwaniki, the deceased's next-door neighbour, claimed that his wife woke him up at around 3 am due to disturbances outside their gate.
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He claimed that when he went to see what was happening, he discovered a group of individuals disputing with the older woman and that she burned his palm with hot water.
Mr Mwaniki said, "I was shocked to see my neighbour burning her panties outside my gate. She also splashed hot water on my right hand, leaving me with a severe burn."
He continued by saying that after reporting the incident to the police, he returned to find that the crowd had killed the woman and part of her house had also burnt due to rumours that she was a witch.
Locals in the area assert that the deceased and Mr Mwaniki had disagreements over boundaries, which they believe may have become more serious.
Since then, Embu East Police Commander Emmanuel Okanda has decried the horrible conduct and urged villagers to provide information that could aid in identifying the incident's primary cause and apprehending those guilty for the death.
He added that no one is above the law and that the police should have taken the woman for investigation purposes. He also advised everyone to find peaceful solutions to their differences.
In the meantime, the deceased's body is lying at the mortuary of the Kyeni mission hospital.
