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How TZ witch doctor forced relocation of County Assembly buildings

By PETER LEFIE September 11th, 2015 2 min read

Embarrassing details of how a Tanzanian witch doctor forced the relocation of a Kenyan county assembly buildings can be laid bare.

It has emerged that Makueni assembly was moved from the county headquarters at Wote to Malili, a small trading centre on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway for fear of a Tanzanian witchdoctor called Mulika.

 

The revelations are contained in the report by the Commission of Inquiry into the Dissolution of Makueni County Government which was chaired by lawyer Mohammed Nyaoga.

“A witch doctor called Mulika caused discomfort in Makueni and was much talked about as the reason why the assembly moved to Malili where they were inaccessible to the public,” the report says.

GHOST BUSTING

“The clergy and public were particularly outraged by Mulika’s presence during hearings. The clergy alleged they heard he had been given permission by the governor to carry out ghost busting. The clergy also said they were told the county commissioner had allowed it,” the report states, referring to the feared witch doctor’s presence at the county assembly at Wote.

In his submissions to the commission, Makueni Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana testified that Mulika was invited into the assembly to carry out some rituals during budget making.

“This caused anxiety in the county and as a result, the clergy conducted a cleansing ceremony with the permission of the assembly. The governor testified that the ‘Mulika factor’ was real and not borne from some mythology. His security officers apprehend him in Mlolongo and took him to Wote Police Station but he was later released,” the report says.

Leader of Majority Francis Mutuku, however, attributed the relocation to Malili to hostility from Makueni residents.

ANGRY RESIDENTS

“The assembly relocated to Malili before the shooting incident because, in Mr Mutuku’s perception, residents had been ‘incited’ after they were told that the assembly refused to pass the Finance Bill. In one incident objects flew from the gallery and MCAs had to run for their lives,” the report states.

Makueni Assembly Speaker Stephen Ngelu’s academic qualifications also came under scrutiny and it was established he was not a PhD holder as he claimed.

“The speaker’s claims to be a PhD holder in education were proven to be false although his business cards and the assembly’s website refer to him as Dr Ngelu,” the report says.