Does Kenya Have A Witchcraft Culture?

BBC Africa Eye investigates a series of murders of elderly people accused of witchcraft along Kenya’s Kilifi coast, revealing the true motives behind these killings. Witchcraft is prevalent in Africa, not only in remote villages but also in wealthy suburbs. In Kenya, the Witchcraft Act (Chapter 67) protects the public against acts of a person practising witchcraft. However, the belief in witchcraft persists in some communities, influencing cultural practices and legal perspectives.

In Kenya, there have been reports of mobs burning people accused of witchcraft, reflecting deep-seated beliefs in the supernatural. Malawi faces a similar issue of child witchcraft accusations, with traditional healers and some Christian counterparts involved in exorcisms, causing abandonment and abuse of children. In a small rural village in Kenya, Margaret, born almost a century ago, must overcome dangerous accusations of witchcraft that are coming from within her own family.

Open witchcraft is rare in the Central province, but what people do secretly is a different matter. In Tetu, Nyeri County, after over a century, witchcraft and sorcery is a significant cause of intentional homicide in Kenya. The Witchcraft Act, 1925 provides that any person who accuses or threatens to accuse any person of being a witch or with practicing witchcraft can be arrested and taken to court.

While witches may be feared and detested in Kenya, witch doctors have found ways to ritually cleanse witchcraft before being reintegrated into the community. This highlights the importance of safeguards in place to prevent the misuse of witchcraft in Kenya and other African countries.

Do witch hunts still happen?

The Salem Witch Trials, which ended in 1693, have left a lasting impact on religious witch hunts worldwide. Women are the primary targets, but men and children are also persecuted for allegedly practicing witchcraft. While often considered a relic of the past, there is evidence that witch hunts may be increasing, not disappearing. Deutsche Welle has designated Aug. 10 as “World Day Against Witch Hunts”, highlighting the global problem of witch hunts.

Thousands of people are accused of practicing witchcraft every year, and many are persecuted and even killed in organized witch hunts. These hunts are most prominent in African countries but are also common in parts of Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

What are the rules of witchcraft?

Witches believe in the universal law of not doing evil and harm, and see the universe as majickal and able to provide for us. They practice science, art, and religion, with roots in early European cultures. Witches act in balance with these three aspects and use their majick in harmony with the universe and nature. They do not worship Satan or the Devil, as they believe that hatred and harm stem from our own choices and actions against the balance of the universe. Witches practice their religion in harmony with the universe and nature.

What is the sin of witchcraft in the Bible?

Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:26, Leviticus 20:27, and Deuteronomy 18:10-11 all prohibit the practice of necromancy, divination, and soothsaying. These laws are portrayed as foreign and are the only part of the Hebrew Bible to mention such practices. The presence of laws forbidding necromancy proves that it was practiced throughout Israel’s history.

The exact difference between the three forbidden forms of necromancy mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:11 is uncertain, as yidde’oni (“wizard”) is always used together with ob (“consulter with familiar spirits”) and its semantic similarity to doresh el ha-metim (“necromancer” or “one who directs inquiries to the dead”) raises the question of why all three are mentioned in the same verse. The Jewish tractate Sanhedrin distinguishes between a doresh el ha-metim, a person who would sleep in a cemetery after starving himself, to become possessed, and a yidde’oni, a wizard.

In summary, the prohibition of necromancy in the Hebrew Bible is a significant aspect of Jewish history.

Is witchcraft illegal in Nigeria?

The possession of charms, regardless of their purpose, is considered a criminal act under Chapter 20 of the Criminal Code. This chapter specifically addresses witchcraft, juju, and criminal charms.

What is the disturbing the dead law in Kenya?

Section 137 of the Penal Code in Kenya criminalizes the act of unlawfully hindering the burial of a deceased individual or the exhumation, dissection, or harming of the deceased’s body without lawful authority.

Is witchcraft illegal in the UK?

The Witchcraft Act 1735, passed in 1692, remained in effect in Britain until its repeal in 1951 with the Fraudulent Mediums Act. The Act was replaced by new Consumer Protection Regulations in 2008, following an EU directive on unfair sales and marketing practices. The Witchcraft Suppression Act, 1957, in South Africa, is still in effect and is based on the Witchcraft Act 1735. The Fraudulent Mediums Act was repealed in 2008 by new Consumer Protection Regulations.

Is Juju a crime in Nigeria?

The Criminal Code Act, Section 210, states that any individual who makes an accusation of witchcraft or engages in activities such as the manufacture, sale, use, invocation, worship, possession of juju, drugs, charms, or control of human remains connected with witchcraft is to be regarded as a human being.

Is it illegal to walk without money in Kenya?

The Vagrancy Act, passed in 1968 and repealed in 1997, defined a vagrant as anyone without lawful employment or means of sustenance, including prostitution. It defined a vagrant as someone with no fixed abode, unemployed, and without permanent means of providing for themselves. This law was racist and classist, based on a British law passed in 1824 to control unemployed veterans of the Napoleonic Wars. It was used to arrest Africans walking around white areas and restricted the movement of Kenyans anywhere.

The act was mostly a supporting law, helping others find reasons to force people to work, even if it was for food. Technically, if someone was broke and unemployed, they could be arrested and taken to a rehabilitation center.

Can you still be accused of witchcraft?

During the Salem witch trials, individuals were accused of being Communists and traitors, despite the lack of substantial evidence. Two centuries later, McCarthy spearheaded a congressional “witch hunt,” a phenomenon that persists in the United States to this day.

Is witchcraft illegal in Uganda?

The 1995 Ugandan Constitution guarantees human rights, including freedoms of religion, expression, and association. However, a law, first enacted during the colonial period, criminalizes certain aspects of African traditional religion as witchcraft. Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. Members of an institution can access content through IP-based access, which is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. Alternatively, users can sign in through their institution, using Shibboleth/Open Athens technology to provide single sign-on between their institution’s website and Oxford Academic.

What is the strange law in Kenya?

In Nairobi, keeping animals or poultry that cause nuisance to neighbors is an offense. Ducks are considered a crime, and the county has the right to penalize those who do. Breeding quacking poultry is prohibited, and neighbors may file complaints with the police. Making noise on the streets is also an offense, especially for city dwellers who cannot speak in moderate tones. Preaching on the streets, which often involves loudspeakers or bullhorns, can be considered noise pollution, especially in residential areas.