BBC Africa Eye don investigate a shocking series of elderly pipo wey dey face accuse of witchcraft and dem kill along Kenya Kilifi coast, dem discover di true motives behind di killings.

Seventy-four-year-old Tambala Jefwa dey look out of im one remaining eye as im wife, Sidi, gently remove im shirt.

“Dem stab am with knife like dis and draw am,” she tok as she point to di long scar wey stretch down from im collar bone.

She take im head for her hand as she show wetin happen for anoda attack. “Dem get to pull di scalp back and sew am togeda.”

Dem accuse Mr Jefwa say im be witch and e don suffer attack two times for im home, 80km (50 miles) inland from di coastal town of Malindi. Di first attack leave am without one eye. Di second nearly kill am.

Di couple get more dan 30 acres of land wia dem dey grow maize and raise a few chickens. E bin get one kwanta with family members over boundaries. Dem believe say dis na di real reason dem almost kill Mr Jefwa, no be say pipo genuinely believe say im be witch.

“Dem leave me thinking say I don die. I lose so much blood. I no know why dem attack me, but e fit be only sake of di land,” na so Mr Jefwa tok.

Belief in witchcraft and superstition dey common in many kontries.

But for some parts of Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa, dem fit use am justify killing elderly pipo to take dia land.

A report called, The Aged, on Edge, by Kenyan human rights organisation Haki Yetu say dem dey murder one elderly person along di Kilifi coast evri week in di name of witchcraft. Di programme officer, Julius Wanyama, say many families believe say na from inside, di order for killing dey come.

“Dem use di word witchcraft as justification so dem go get public sympathy. And pipo go say: ‘If im be witch, e good make you kill am.’”

Few pipo for dis region get title deeds for dia land. Without a will, dem rely on passing it down customarily through di family. Mr Wanyama say seven out of 10 of di killings na elderly men becos land ownership and inheritance dey with dem.

“Historically pipo here for Kilifi no get [land] documentation. Di only document dem get na di narrative from dis elderly pipo. Dat na why dem dey kill mostly di men, becos once you kill dem, den you don remove di obstacle,” na so Mr Wanyama tok.

About one hour drive from di Jefwa family land na one rescue centre for di elderly wey di charity, Malindi District Association dey run.

Dis na home to around 30 elderly pipo wey don dey attacked and no fit go back to dia own land.

Sixty-three-year-old Katana Chara, wey look much older dan im age, don dey here for around 12 months.

Im get to move to di centre afta dem attack am with cutlass for im bedroom for April 2023. Dem cut off one of im hand from di wrist, di oda na from just above di elbow. Im no fit work again and need help for di most basic tasks, from feeding and washing to dressing imsef.

“I know di pesin wey cut my hands, but we never meet face to face since dat time,” e tok.

Dem accuse Mr Chara say e be witch sake of di death of anoda man pikin, but e believe say di real reason why dem attack am na becos of im six acres of land.

“I no get anytin to do with witchcraft. I get one piece of land and e dey for di seafront. Na big piece of land.”

Many of Mr Chara family members bin face questioning over di attack but no-one ever dey prosecuted. Activist Mr Wanyama don try to get justice for am.

“Very few pipo don dey charged on di allegations of di killing of elderly pipo. And dat na why I tink say even di key pipo wey dey involved in di killing, dem feel say dem dey free.”

After months of investigating, BBC Africa Eye manage to track down one ex-hitman wey claim to don kill around 20 pipo. E say di minimum dem pay am for each murder na 50,000 Kenyan shillings – around $400 (£310).

“If pesin kill an old person, know say na dia family pay for am. E must be dia family,” e tell BBC Africa Eye.

On why im tink say na im right to take life, e say: “I fit don do sometin bad becos dem give me di job and na me wey kill, but according to di laws, according to God, di pesin wey send me na im be di guilty one.”

Di Kenya National Commission on Human Rights present a document to di United Nations in February 2023 wey state say: “Witch burning, killings, and physical attacks dey common in regions such as Kisii for western Kenya and Kilifi county for coastal Kenya.”

E say younger family members wey dey seek to acquire family land na one key motivating factor behind di killings. E say di attacks and killings increase during periods of drought and famine wen sources of income dey scarce.

Mr Wanyama say killings wey use accusations of witchcraft to justify land grabs don become a “national disaster”

“E start as a regional issue, but now don grow... If we no address am, den we go lose our archives of di elderly. Those na di only live archives we fit believe.”

For traditional African culture, di elderly dey respected for dia wisdom and knowledge.

For Kilifi, di reverse be di case. Old pipo dey so fearful of becoming a target, many of dem don dey dye dia hair in an attempt to look younger.

E dey rare for someone in dis region to survive afta dem accuse am of witchcraft.

While Mr Chara dey safe now wia e dey live for di rescue centre for di elderly, for men like Mr Jefwa, e get real fear say whoever try to murder am go come back.