Wamuchomba dismisses elders' ‘curses’, vows housing project will proceed

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba / FILE

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has dismissed curses reportedly issued by a section of Kiama Kia Ma elders over the disputed 58-acre Githunguri Kia Wairera shrine land.

The legislator vowed that the government’s affordable housing project will go on as planned in the land.

Wamuchomba rejected the authority of the elders behind the claims, saying she does not subscribe to their beliefs or practices.

“I’m not part of that sect because I have not partaken of their oath. They were doing their things; it is not mine. Whom are you cursing? They are the ones who are cursed because they are doing things that are against the people of Githunguri,” Wamuchomba said.

She said the dispute is because of a clash between traditional practices and the predominantly Christian identity of local residents, arguing that the community does not believe in ritual pronouncements.

There is a church in every 500 metres in Githunguri. We are Christians, and there are a lot of churches here. When you perform rituals, that is on you. I’m a Christian and delivered by the blood of Jesus,” she said.

Wamuchomba defended the affordable housing project as a critical development initiative that is already creating employment for local youth, warning that political interference could derail livelihoods.

She maintained that she would not be intimidated by criticism or threats, insisting the project serves the broader public interest.

“Githunguri residents are angry because when you politicise these projects, where will the young people working here go? Around 56 young people are working here,” she said.

“I will stand firm. Let them insult me, saying that I’m cursed; they are the ones who will be cursed because they are denying the government of the day to build the heritage and culture of Githunguri residents and the whole of Mt Kenya.”

The MP also invoked the historical significance of the land, linking it to the legacy of Mau Mau fighters, and questioned why it should remain idle amid rising unemployment.

“Do you think we are happy seeing our land that belonged to Mau Mau sitting idle while our young people are loitering in the streets without work?” she posed.

Wamuchomba further alleged that external interests were behind the opposition to the project, accusing unnamed individuals of attempting to block development for personal gain.

“Those are people from outside who have come to stop development, while in their areas, development is ongoing. Those behind this are land grabbers,” she claimed.

The dispute over the Githunguri Kia Wairera shrine land has stirred tensions in the area, pitting sections of cultural leaders against political leadership.

In a video that has been going around on social media, the elders, dressed in traditional attire, shattered calabashes, a significant act in Gikuyu culture used to express grave grievances and invoke ancestral judgement.