Kaya elders call for the preservation of the sacred forest for future generations and to prevent curses from ancestors. [File, Standard]
Revered Kaya elders from Kaya Fungo Giriama in Kaloleni Sub-County in Kilifi County have traded accusations over what they termed 'brokers within their midst.'
A section of the elders accused their colleagues of being manipulated by politicians and wealthy individuals to destroy the 500-acre Kaya Fungo Giriama sacred forest with the intention to grab it.
However, those in support of the development of the Kaya refuted claims of being brokers.
On Thursday, both sides agreed on the need to preserve the forest for future generations and to prevent curses from ancestors.
Fernand Nyale, a former councillor and a Kaya youth, claimed that some elders who do not reside in the forest were colluding with three county askaris to allow the felling of trees in the forest, saying that almost two-thirds of it had been destroyed by loggers.
“We’ve decided to tell the world that the destruction taking place in this sacred forest is being spearheaded by some brokers masquerading as Kaya elders in collaboration with county askaris who do not want to cooperate with elders who reside in the shrines,” he said.
Nyale insisted that the scared forest needed to be protected from any harmful individuals out to disrupt Kukimosho's customs.