The construction of Kainyaga-Kiamutugu road in Kirinyaga County ran into headwinds after Kikuyu elders stopped the contractor from bringing down a Mugumo (fig) tree that is located on a section of the proposed project.
The Standard on Friday, September 13, reported that the contractor has since left the tree precariously leaning towards the road after he dug most of the roots out during construction.
Elders and a section of residents are reported to have stopped the contractor from bringing down the tree until special religious rights are conducted.
The residents also expressed fears that after the contractor's actions, the tree could fall unexpectedly and injure passersby.
"The Mugumo tree is important in the entire Mt. Kenya region. Even today, elders go there to pray and sacrifice. It should not just be brought down by any human activity," claimed Ndambiri Njui, and 85-year-old resident.
Many other elders are alleged to agree with Njui, stating that bringing down the tree to pave way for the construction of the road before conducting the religious rites would be breaking a taboo and would bring untold consequences from the ancestors.
The Chinese contractor in charge of the project is reported to have been shaken after being informed of the extent of damage that he would cause the community if he was to bring down the tree considered sacred by the community.
He thereafter decided to bypass the section until an agreement is arrived at with the elders and residents.
"We will wait for a decision on the way forward before we can tackle that section. For now, we are not going to touch the area," an employee is quoted.
The issue has however divided elders and residents, with another group accusing other elders of blackmailing the contractor. They argued that some traditions have been passed by time and should be discarded.
The construction of the road, which started in 2014 had stalled until President Uhuru Kenyatta intervened in July 2019 when he attended the wedding of Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru.
Kenyatta had promised to construct the road for the residents back in 2014 after his convoy got stuck in mud when during a visit to Kirinyaga at the time. It had since stalled until his July visit.
