GITHUNGURI, Kenya — Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has dismissed reported curses issued by a section of Kiama Kia Ma elders, vowing that the government’s affordable housing project on the disputed 58-acre Githunguri Kia Wairera shrine land will proceed.
The legislator rejected the authority of the elders behind the claims, stating she does not subscribe to their traditional beliefs or practices and would not be intimidated by ritual pronouncements.
“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.
Her remarks come amid rising tensions following the circulation of a viral video showing elders, dressed in traditional regalia, shattering calabashes — a symbolic act in Gikuyu culture used to express grave grievances and invoke ancestral judgment.
Wamuchomba framed the dispute as a broader ideological clash between traditional practices and the predominantly Christian identity of local residents, arguing that many in the area do not recognise such rituals.
“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.
At the centre of the dispute is the government-backed affordable housing project, a flagship initiative under the national development agenda aimed at addressing Kenya’s housing deficit while creating employment opportunities.
The MP defended the project as a critical economic lifeline for local youth, noting that dozens are already benefiting from job opportunities at the site.
“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.
She maintained that the project serves the broader public interest and warned that political interference could derail livelihoods and stall development in the region.
“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,” she added.
Wamuchomba also invoked the historical significance of the land, linking it to the legacy of the Mau Mau Uprising, 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.
She further alleged that external actors were behind resistance 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 standoff in Githunguri now highlights the complex intersection of governance, tradition, and development, with potential implications for how similar conflicts are managed nationwide.
