Siaya High Court prosecutor sounds alarm over elderly rape and land dispute murders

Siaya High Court Prosecutor Joyce Mumu has raised concerns over an increase in cases involving rape of elderly women, land dispute murders, and deaths linked to wife inheritance.

Mumu explained that the case files her office is handling indicate a troubling trend, and unless action is taken, the situation could worsen.

“We have an increased number of sexual violence cases, defilement, rape, attempted rape, and defilement of young girls and women, and, unfortunately, the perpetrators are aged 20-30 years,” she said.

The prosecutor added that some suspects go further, killing victims to silence the case completely. She also blamed drug abuse, saying, “Most of the youths who commit these crimes are drug addicts, and they smoke bhang a lot.”

Speaking at a forum organised by Shining Hopes for Communities (SHOFCO) on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, to educate residents on where to report gender-based violence.

She reflected on the moral decline in society, asking, “How can we remedy the rotten society… Where are the morals…? if a youth aged 20-30 can gang rape and kill an elderly person aged 80?”

Highlighting the impact of cultural practices, Mumu urged the Luo community to review retrogressive traditions, particularly wife inheritance.

“It’s high time the Luo community reviewed its cultures and discarded the retrogressive wife inheritance culture that is now claiming the lives of widows in the society,” she said.

She emphasised that inheritance practices have caused families immense pain and contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS.

“Volumes of files we deal with at the high court are related to gender-based violence, and in land disputes, the most affected are widows. Widows end up being evicted from land that is rightfully theirs, and many who do not respond to eviction orders are murdered along with their children,” Mumu said.

She concluded with a call for community action, warning. “The ills have engulfed our society, and the earlier we deal with them, the better.”