Residents of Bendera village of West Pokot were struck with shock and disbelief following the mysterious disappearance of school-going children in suspected acts of cannibalism.
Angry residents barricaded the Lodwar-Kapenguria highway, demanding justice for the learners whose lives were cut short following the purported act of cannibalism.
Mobs in tens of thousands collected on Sunday afternoon and demanded the victims of the heinous acts on humanity, which prompted police to lob teargas canisters to disperse the irate mob.
The angry residents baying for the blood of the victims ambushed and torched the belongings and houses of suspects believed to have abducted and murdered various school-going children in the area.
According to the County Criminal Investigation Officer, Daniel Musangi, the victims indeed confessed to killing and eating the bodies of eight boys. However, we are yet to find the human remains to support the claims.
He added that setting the houses ablaze interfered with information that would have been pieced together to support a vivid prosecution.
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“We are, however, preparing to excavate a toilet suspected to have been used to dispose of bones and human body parts, ” he stated.
Protected sources have asserted that twelve alleged suspects admitted to abducting, killing, torturing, and even consuming human flesh for at least eight children over a period of years.
According to police sources, the suspects are Ugandan nationals from the Abagishu community, primarily originating from Bududa in Mbale, Uganda.
The spine-chilling details have triggered violence and protests in Bendera village.
Hundreds of school uniforms, exercise books and other learning related items have been uncovered, which has led to many residents believing that indeed the victims were innocent school-going children, either ambushed on the way to or from school.
Efforts by Kapenguria Officer Commanding Station and Assistant County Commissioner Evans Omanga and Emily Ogolla, respectively, to calm the situation were disrupted by angry residents who pelted police with stones.
“Musangi confirmed that the police were lawfully pursuing the matter by seeking a court order to allow them to excavate the toilet and amass the desired evidence.
He did confirm that the suspects had been detained and that the prime suspect had vanished into Uganda, but efforts were underway to apprehend him.
A grieving mother who had lost her son in 2006, Elizabeth Cheptana, broke down in tears after identifying her child’s clothing among the pile.”I have always kept my unwavering hope alive for over 16years, but at last I have seen my child’s uniform. The pain is just unbearable.”
Confessed reports by the children have also confirmed that the victims were using two enormous snakes to do their job.
It was like a ritual shared among a group of people, but some sources have stated that they were engaging in the trade of body parts.
Another source has stated that mature people’s flesh is not good, and also, the body parts are not good.
The people were interested in kidneys and heart, but they also outlined that the flesh of staunch Christians could not be cooked.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers’ executive secretary, Mr Martin Sembelo, condemned the heinous act and stated that such pain is unbearable.
“This is the first time in living memory that West Pokot has found itself in a quagmire of ‘Shakahola nature” He said.
“Let the law-enforcing agencies move expeditiously to track down these unreasonable perpetrators, ” he said.
Victims’ children made extremely chilling confessions, admitting that their family had indeed been consuming human flesh either through luring or enticing victims to their deaths.
They also confessed that a car often visited their home every evening following a successful “catch” or expedition.
They also stated that there was a moment when the body parts of a shared human body were communicating with them and asking questions; this was precisely our turning point, since mysterious happenings were the order of the day.
By Hillary Muhalya
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