KILIFI, Kenya, Aug 6 — Traffic along the Kilifi-Malindi Road was brought to a standstill Thursday evening after a section of youths in Matsangoni staged protests over claims that a young man’s private parts had “vanished” following an encounter with another man at a local fuel station.Motorists were forced to make U-turns as protesters barricaded the highway with stones, disrupting traffic in both directions for close to three hours hours.Multiple eyewitnesses told Capital FM News that tensions escalated after the man accused by the crowd fled into a building within the fuel station compound. The crowd later torched a vehicle believed to belong to the suspect, while some protesters reportedly attempted to set the fuel station ablaze before being restrained.The circumstances surrounding the alleged incident and the torching were not immediately clear, and police had not confirmed any injuries or arrests by Thursday night.The circumstances surrounding the alleged incident and the torching were not immediately clear, and police had not confirmed any injuries or arrests by Thursday night/CFMThe claims mirror similar incidents that have periodically triggered mob violence in parts of the Coast region despite repeated police investigations and medical examinations finding no evidence to support allegations of “missing” private parts.In July, a Kilifi court sentenced a father and son to one year in prison each after they assaulted a woman they falsely accused of causing a man’s genitals to “disappear” through witchcraft.Father, son jailed for assaulting woman over ‘disappearing genitals’The court heard that the pair attacked the woman after the man claimed his genitals had vanished following an encounter with her. A medical examination at Jaribuni Dispensary later confirmed that his genitals were intact and functioning normally, disproving the allegation.During sentencing, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence, warning that mob attacks fuelled by witchcraft allegations had become increasingly common along the Coast and had resulted in deaths, serious injuries and destruction of property.Principal Magistrate Ivy Wasike observed that such incidents perpetuate dangerous falsehoods that continue to endanger innocent lives, underscoring the need to deter mob justice.Thursday’s unrest has renewed concerns over the persistence of mob violence triggered by unverified claims, with authorities expected to investigate both the allegation that sparked the protest and the destruction of property.Police had not issued an official statement on the incident by the time of publication.