Kenya mob burns 11 "witches" to death

A mob tied up at least 11 people accused of witchcraft and burnt them to death in a remote village in western Kenya, police said Wednesday.

Police were on patrol in the village of Nyakeo to prevent revenge attacks after eight women and three men, 10 of them aged between 70 and 90, were lynched and burnt to death on Tuesday, spokesman Charles Owino said.

"Their houses were torched. Eight women and three men suspected of being witches died," Kenya's deputy police spokesman Charles Owino said.

Kisii district residents confirmed the killings, saying an enraged crowd had gone house-to-house on Tuesday night, using a list of supposed witches in the region.

About 30 houses were torched.

Police chief Kibuchi said the villagers had recounted holding a meeting in Nyakeo earlier on Tuesday to try and dissuade those who wanted to go ahead with the killing.

Five of the victims had supposedly "confessed" at this meeting to practicing witchcraft and had begged for mercy, he said.

Traditional African beliefs, Christianity and Islam co-exist peacefully in Kenya. But there is widespread suspicion of sorcery, particularly in west Kenya, which has a long tradition of witch doctors and faith healers.

In 1993, eight elderly people from Kisii were also accused of witchcraft and burned to death in their huts by a mob.

Several cases have also been reported in recent months in neighboring Tanzania, forcing President Jakaya Kikwete to order special protection for albinos, who were murdered and mutilated for good luck by witch-doctors.