Tension flared in Githunguri after police used teargas to disperse hundreds of Kikuyu elders and residents who had gathered for a prayer meeting at Githunguri Stadium.
The confrontation led to hours of running battles between security officers and crowds who had travelled from across the region for the planned spiritual gathering, which was later disrupted.
The meeting, organised by the Kiama kia Ma together with the Kikuyu Council of Elders, was intended as a spiritual intervention over the government’s proposal to develop a 58-acre parcel of land under the Affordable Housing Project.
At the centre of the dispute is the contested land, which elders say carries deep historical and cultural significance and should not be altered.
Ndung’u Gaithuma, Chairman of Kiama kia Ma, condemned the police response, saying authorities had been informed about 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.
The elders maintain that the 58-acre site is a cultural shrine and museum, citing its historical importance, including its links to the Mau Mau struggle, colonial-era executions, and heritage buildings associated with Chief Mbiu Koinange and Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
Despite the disruption, the elders proceeded with shortened prayers before performing a traditional ritual of breaking calabashes, a symbolic Kikuyu act signifying a curse.
“We cannot afford to trade our cultural pride for an affordable housing project,” Gaithuma added.
They also warned that interference with the land or continuation of the project would attract a “bad omen.”