Don’t touch fallen Mugumo tree, elders warn locals

Residents of Mataara Village in Gatundu North have been warned against cutting parts of a fallen Mugumo tree said to be over 100 years old.

According to Beth Wangui, 90, the fallen Mugumo tree served as a shrine and those who cut it “will be met by God’s wrath’.

“Our forefathers, and those in our generation, camped at this Mugumo tree during worship…It is at the Muguumo tree where we prayed for our children.” she told Citizen Digital.

Ms. Wangui is one of the elders in Mataara Village who still hold dear cultural beliefs of the Agikuyu community.

“When one cuts a part of God’s dwelling place and uses it, for instance, as firewood or timber, what do you think would befall such a person?” another elder, Kimani, posed.

The situation is apparently so dire that they intend to seek intervention from the Kikuyu Council of Elders’ on what to do with the tree, Raphael Ndung’u added.

He also maintained that the tree should not be destroyed, discarded or used for fuel.