As the world marked World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15th under the theme “Bold Age, Bold Attitude,” Haki Yetu community organization based in Mombasa cast a spotlight on the growing crisis of elder abuse in Kenya’s coastal counties of Kilifi and Kwale.
The organization in now calling upon both levels of government to ensure the necessary legal, policy & administration and institutional measures are taken to curb the worrying trend of targeted killings of elderly persons over witchcraft allegations.
According to data from the National Crime Research Centre, Kilifi and Kwale rank among the top counties with the highest murder rates, with 58.2% of residents aware of murder incidents within their communities. A significant proportion of these killings are linked to accusations of witchcraft—often directed at elderly women and men.
Haki Yetu through its bold initiative dubbed “Mvi Si Uchawi”—translated as “Grey Hair Is Not Witchcraft.” is now calling for collaboration between different stakeholders to end these killings. The organization’s 2023 report, “Aged on Edge: Witchcraft and Abuse of the Elderly in Kilifi and Kwale,” documented 160 killings of elders between 2020 and 2023.
This report reveals those figure were high between from 2023 to 2025, 89 where more older persons were murdered,in Kwale and Kilifi equating to roughly one elder being killed every week in the two counties with these just being the reported cases.
As the country reflects on this year’s Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Haki Yetu is calling on county and national governments, as well as elected leaders, to take immediate action. They demand robust legal, policy, and administrative interventions to protect the elderly, ensure justice for victims, and end impunity.
Haki Yetu is now calling on the government’s quick intervention to help the victims who it claims many have no voice.
“The Constitution of Kenya 2010 guarantees security and dignity for all citizens, including older persons,” the statement added. “It is time we translate these promises into real protection.”
