Kikuyu elders offer sacrifice to appease ‘Ngai’ before cutting Mugumo tree in Kirinyaga

By , K24 Digital
On Mon, 1 Nov, 2021 18:33 | 2 mins read
Kikuyu elders offering a sacrifice before cutting Mugumo tree in Kirinyaga county. PHOTO/RICHARD MUGO

Kirinyaga county council of elders have offered a burnt sacrifice in a bid to cleanse a fig tree meant to be cut down to pave way for construction.

The fig tree, locally known as Mugumo acted as a shrine where the Kikuyu community would offer sacrifices as well as pray while facing Mt Kenya.

The sacrifice is offered to avoid a curse or any form of tragedy since the place where the tree stands, is considered holy.

The tree under which the sacrifice was offered, stands in a land planned for Kenol-Marua Dual Carriage through Sagana, Ndia Constituency.

According to the council's acting chairman, the tree can only be cut after the sacrifice has been offered accepted by God known to the Kikuyus as Ngai.

"We have gathered here to offer this sacrifice to appease Ngai so that the tree can be cut and pave way for construction without any tragedy befalling this road once completed," Harrison noted.

The elders who take part in offering the sacrifice must be pure and barefoot.

"These elders have fasted for seven days and none of us has been close to any woman for the past week because this is a holy place and one must be pure," the council's treasurer Joseph Muriithi noted.

During the sacrifice, at least three goats are slaughtered and the most important one is offered to God as a burnt sacrifice.

"We slaughter three goats. The first one is to please our God. It is burnt not a single piece can be eaten by anyone. If the smoke rises up straight to the sky, that means God has accepted our offering, and in this case, He has," Muriithi explained.

The other two goats are distributed among the elders and remains are burnt to ashes before leaving.

"The meat is eaten here. Nobody is allowed to take anything home. The meat that remains as well as the bones are burnt to ashes," he said.

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