Ngigana
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 16, 2010
- 2,102
- 1,436
Posted Sunday, June 19 2011 at 11:33
The number of Tanzanian witchdoctors (or those purporting to have come from there) practising in Kenya is disturbing.
Posters and sign boards from these witchdoctors claiming to cure a myriad ailments such as gonorrhoea, lost love, lost family members, court cases and poor business is shocking. Often, these notices are openly placed on electricity poles in markets, streets and estates.
Most have Arab names appended, with some doctor claiming expertise from Tanzania, the preferred origins being Suba Wanga, Pemba, Tanga, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Since witchcraft is illegal in Kenya, why are the police not arresting them even when they so openly advertise their services, complete with phone numbers? Are these Tanzanians allowed into the country legally by the immigration department?
Tanzania has been on the spot for human trafficking and killing of albinos for witchcraft purposes, raising fears of the trade spilling over into Kenya.
Unlike Kenya, Tanzania tolerates witchcraft and traditional medicine; consider, for instance, the recent nod given by their government to the Loliondo wonder drink.
In Kenya the trade is hated, if the lynching of suspected witches in Kisii, Malindi and most recently Kisumu is anything to go by. This community justice shows the failure of law enforcement in curbing the spread of the black arts.
Ironically, Kenyans plying the trade opt for a Tanzania tag to avoid societys scorn. The tag is for safety reasons; even though their communities are adept at the trade, they wont advertise it.
I call on the Tanzanian High Commissioner to Kenya to work closely with the government to flush out the witchdoctors since with East African integration, they give Tanzania a bad image as a hub of black magic.
Manuel Odeny
Nairobi
The number of Tanzanian witchdoctors (or those purporting to have come from there) practising in Kenya is disturbing.
Posters and sign boards from these witchdoctors claiming to cure a myriad ailments such as gonorrhoea, lost love, lost family members, court cases and poor business is shocking. Often, these notices are openly placed on electricity poles in markets, streets and estates.
Most have Arab names appended, with some doctor claiming expertise from Tanzania, the preferred origins being Suba Wanga, Pemba, Tanga, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Since witchcraft is illegal in Kenya, why are the police not arresting them even when they so openly advertise their services, complete with phone numbers? Are these Tanzanians allowed into the country legally by the immigration department?
Tanzania has been on the spot for human trafficking and killing of albinos for witchcraft purposes, raising fears of the trade spilling over into Kenya.
Unlike Kenya, Tanzania tolerates witchcraft and traditional medicine; consider, for instance, the recent nod given by their government to the Loliondo wonder drink.
In Kenya the trade is hated, if the lynching of suspected witches in Kisii, Malindi and most recently Kisumu is anything to go by. This community justice shows the failure of law enforcement in curbing the spread of the black arts.
Ironically, Kenyans plying the trade opt for a Tanzania tag to avoid societys scorn. The tag is for safety reasons; even though their communities are adept at the trade, they wont advertise it.
I call on the Tanzanian High Commissioner to Kenya to work closely with the government to flush out the witchdoctors since with East African integration, they give Tanzania a bad image as a hub of black magic.
Manuel Odeny
Nairobi
