Murang'a: Drama as Kikuyu Elders Accused of Being Mungiki Break Into Mau Mau Songs in Court

 

There was a spectacle in a Murang'a court as 21 Agikuyu elders awaited to be charged with being members of the outlawed Mungiki sect. Agikuyu elders sit in court. The senior citizens were arrested on Sunday, December 31, 2023, at Mukurwe Wa Nyagathanga shrine, where they were attending a religious ceremony.  Their Mothers Dressed in traditional colours, the elders took advantage of a 20-minute court adjournment and started singing the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA); Mau Mau's songs. They intimated in the lyrics that they were descendants of the Gilkuyu and not criminals, as alleged in their case. Attempts by the court clerks to stop them were in vain as they raised their arms in solidarity until they ended the song. The elders had been arraigned before senior principal magistrate Edwin Nyaga. However, the case did not proceed as the prosecution requested the court for more time to bring evidence against the accused/ Gov't accused of targeting Kikuyu culture The elders' lawyers, led by Ndegwa Njiru, Jeremiah Kioni and Kinuthia Mwangi, claimed there was a well-planned move to deter the Agikuyu from practising their culture. "This is a case of political persecution, and it is now rampant among the Gikuyu community," Kioni said. Wambugu Nyamu, an elder from Nyeri county, said the Kikuyu council of elders raised money to help the elders. "Kikuyu council of elders where I am a member we had to raise money to make sure these people are presented," he said. James Nene, another elder, said most ethnic Gikuyu were afraid of practising their culture for fear of reprisals. "Currently, no Kikuyu can meet with the intention of continuing their Kikuyu traditions without fear," he said. Subscribe to watch new videos Suspected Mungiki members burst into songs at police cells Earlier, nearly 300 youths arrested for attempting to attend the ex-Mungiki leader Maina Njenga's meeting at the Kabiruini showground turned the police cell into a church. The suspects sang songs praising the unity of the Agikuyu community with a lot of enthusiasm, disrupting the ambient environment of the institution in unison. Murangá County Police Commander Kahinga Matthew said the suspects were caught with paraphernalia identifiable with activities of the outlawed group. 

by  Didacus Malowa