Chaos erupted in Githunguri town as police deployed heavy force and teargas to disperse hundreds of Kikuyu elders and community members gathered for a publicized prayer meeting at the Githunguri Stadium.
The confrontation resulted in hours of running battles between security forces and masses who had traveled from across the region to attend the spiritual assembly. The standoff highlights a deepening rift between cultural leaders and the government over the proposed use of a historically significant 58-acre piece of land.
The meeting, organized by the Kiama kia Ma cultural outfit and the Kikuyu Council of Elders, was intended as a spiritual intervention regarding the national government’s plan to utilize the land for an Affordable Housing Project.
Ndung’u Gaithuma, Chairman of Kiama kia Ma, expressed outrage over the police action, noting that authorities had been notified of the meeting in advance.
“As a community, being chased away with teargas for convening a prayer meeting is unheard of. We condemn this act of force by the police,” Gaithuma stated.
At the heart of the conflict is the 58-acre site, which elders maintain is a community shrine and museum, not government property.
According to the elders, the land holds immense historical and cultural weight such as Historical Gallows, where the site served as a gallows where Mau Mau fighters were executed and buried by the colonial government. Architectural Heritage as it houses the original residence of Chief Mbiu Koinange and a house belonging to Kenya’s founding father, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Educational Roots as the land remains the site of a colonial-era teachers’ college.
“This land is a museum for our community. No previous government has ever dared to touch it because it is preserved as a shrine,” Gaithuma added. “We cannot afford to trade our cultural pride for an affordable housing project.”
Despite the heavy police presence and the sting of teargas, the elders managed to conduct abbreviated prayers. In a significant cultural gesture, they performed a ritual of breaking calabashes—a Kikuyu taboo used to signify a curse. The elders warned that any individual attempting to desecrate the community land or proceed with the project would face a “bad omen.”
The elders also took aim at Githunguri Member of Parliament, Gathoni Wamuchomba, accusing her of sanctioning the police crackdown.
In a statement posted to her official Facebook page, MP Wamuchomba defended the security intervention, claiming the “prayer meeting” was a front for political destabilization.
“We have received information that the so-called prayers are a disguise for political mobilization aimed at stopping development projects in Githunguri, including the upcoming Cultural Center (Thingira),” the MP stated.
Wamuchomba alleged that intelligence reports suggested youth had been mobilized with weapons to attack government offices, the NG-CDF offices, and law courts.
She further claimed that the land has already been “consecrated by bonafide people.” The Cultural Center (Thingira) is fully government-funded and construction has already commenced and traditional prayers are typically held in forests or shrines, not stadiums.
“I urge all to restrain from politicizing and interfering with Githunguri constituency development. We are not opposed to prayers, but any damage to property will be held against the organizers,” she warned.
