SENGEREMA authorities will meet the burial cost of the bodies of seven family members who were killed in Nyigumba village in the district on Tuesday night.
The decision to support burial
arrangements was reached after the Mwanza Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr
John Mongela, directed district authorities to meet the cost for
transport and coffins. “I am equally shocked with the killings... but we
have first to see how we can assist the remaining members of the family
to meet some of the costs.
Authorities in the district will find
ways to support transport from Sengerema Designated hospital to Nyigumba
village. Seven coffins are ready for the burial,” said Mr Mongela.
Until yesterday, the killers were at large despite an extensive manhunt
mounted by police force to arrest them.
The first born in the family, Mr Patrick
Joshua, who luckily was not at home during the attack, told the RC that
the killers invaded his parents’ house but before doing anything they
jumped into the servant’s quarter, hacking to pieces with machetes the
two boys they found there.
After they were satisfied that the two
boys were dead, the killers approached the main house where the first
person they faced was the mother, Eugenia Kwitema, whom they told to
give them money.
Trying to bargain for her life Mama
Kwitema said she had only 40,000/- with her but the killers were furious
over small amount and threatened to kill her instantly unless she gave
out more money. “Helplessly and hopelessly, she pleaded for time to pray
and say a last word to the rest of the family members in the house.
The attackers would have none of that
and instead proceeded to attack her, killing her on the spot’’, Mr
Joshua said, quoting the youngest child in the household, who
miraculously escaped death. “The whole village is still shocked since
this event was very rare.
It is terrifying seeing seven members of
the same family being killed like it is done in genocides. Even if it
is revenge as we hear some people claiming, this is a revenge of its
kind,” he said. Apart from the late Eugenia Kwitema (62), others who
died are Maria Philipo (56), Yohana Mabula (20), Leonard Alloys (12),
Mkiwa Philipo (13) and the two servants of the family identified by one
name as Donald and Samson.
Most villagers around were seen in deep
grief as they silently asked themselves questions on what could be
associated with the killings as the police launched investigations. The
Sengerema District Commissioner (DC), Ms Zainab Telack, could only link
the incident with witchcraft, cautioning the villagers to avoid taking
the law into their hand
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