On December 29, 1992, Musikari Kombo, a member of the FORD Kenya party, won the Webuye parliamentary seat, defeating his main rival, Joseph Maloba Elima.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Joseph Maloba went to court and accused Kombo of using black magic to win the elections.
Joseph Maloba Elima filed the petition against Musikari Kombo in 1993. The case dragged on in the court for almost a year.
After serving as the Webuye legislator for almost 2 years, Kombo’s stay in power was short-lived in 1994 as the court nullified the elections.
The judges John Mwera, Emmanuel O’kubasu and G.P. Mbito ruled on November 17, 1994, that Kombo was guilty of administering traditional oaths to bind and instil fear in voters, which constituted undue influence under Section 9 of the Election Offences Act.
Court Nullifies Musikari Kombo’s Election
As a result, he was barred from contesting for any seat for 5 years.
In the court proceedings, three witch doctors whom the politician allegedly hired narrated the activities they did using black magic to favour Kombo’s win.
The three witch doctors were Francis Wafula, Simon Bileti Wawire, and Elly Khamala Wanyama.
The three alleged that Muskari Kombo paid them Ksh 70,000 to perform a ritual dubbed “Khulia Silulu,” loosely translated to mean eating something bitter.
At the time, Kombo issued instructions and hosted the witch doctors at his house.
Additionally, it was alleged that the politician paid a fee of Ksh 20,000 as a deposit, and it was agreed that the oath would be taken at Ben Wafula’s house in Wabukhonyi village.
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According to the three witchdoctors’ account in the court, the alleged ritual involved sacrificing a black ram, washing Kombo with a herbal concoction, cutting his skin to collect blood, and blending it with herbs and bathwater.
Kombo, reportedly in his underwear, sat on the ram’s hide, took an oath to uphold Masinde Muliro’s political goal of ousting President Moi, and consumed roasted meat infused with the blood and herb mixture.
Voters present were also coerced into taking oaths and eating the meat, vowing to support Kombo under threat of death if they failed to comply.
Kombo Maintains His Innocence
However, Kombo rejected these accusations, emphasising his Christian faith and education, which did not allow him to associate with such things.
He maintained his innocence, insisting he was at church and official events on the night in question, where he oversaw the ritual.
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Years later, after the incident happened, Kombo, in an interview with KTN in 2017, said that the corrupt system ensured that he was out of office, saying that the judiciary was corrupted at the time and was manipulated.
He also alleged that one of the judges approached him years later after the ruling and apologised for the ruling he had made against him.
“One of the judges, much later, came and apologised to me. I told him it was gone and finished, and let’s move on. So it was a system manipulating the judiciary, and I believe that, to date, it is still happening,” Kombo said.
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