Family members, church elders and villagers repeatedly sing around a tomb belonging to Joseph Macharia Githua at Matanya-Marula village in Laikipia East. For a moment, the entire village is united by one common goal — to appease the spirit of the deceased buried 25 years ago. He never got married or had any children.
Usually, the dead are left to rest in eternal peace save for cross unveiling. In some places, if the graves are not tended to they ‘disappear’ — that is they become levelled to the ground and are rarely mentioned.
However, the mound on Macharia’s grave has remained fresh to the chagrin of many villagers, who would not even point at the grave with their fingers for fear of a ‘curse’. Family and neighbours say no matter the season, rainy or dry, the mound on the grave has remained the same.
Recently, there were special prayers held at the graveside to appease the spirit of Githua, who died when he was 72. This is unheard of in the area; graves ‘silently’ exist. To add to the mystery of the ‘stubborn grave’, Charles Wambugu, 45, claims when his grandfather died, lightning struck the old man’s room for several minutes.
Wambugu claims the incident happened at around 2am. “The light was so sharp that almost made me blind and little did I know that the old man was dying. I was so confused and it all appeared like a dream. I tried to call him, but he was incoherently. Strangely, after that I slept soundly,” claims Wambugu.
During the burial Wambugu claims heavy rains pounded the area sparking whispers in the area. Engineer Patrick King’ori says Githu, who was his uncle, had just been baptised at the Africa Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) the same day he died. The 58-year-old man says that after the burial, the family did not plant a cross on the tomb.
“The graveside was also abandoned for all those years,” says King’ori. He says he was surprised to find the mound as fresh as it was 25 years ago. “I opted to consult the church that baptised him and read his final rites.
The clergy and elders visited the site and confirmed my uncles grave was intact,” King’ori says. The church called for special prayers and unveiling of a cross. “They instructed to level the mound before conducting the ceremony. From now henceforth, we will preserve this site for the sake of our future generations,” says King’ori.
Peter Mwangi, a village elder, says that the deceased settled on the land in the early 1970s and that he was a great farmer. “For the five years I had known him, the late Githu was kind, social and an industrious person. Everyone respected him for the witty advice he gave to the youths,” recalls the 66-year-old man.
He continues: “Many people have died and buried in this village over the years. But mounds curve in several months after.” Gladys Wamuyu says she has grazed her livestock at the compound for the last 23 years and always marvelled at the grave, although she never spoke about it.
“This is a miracle. Despite the fact that many activities have taken place here, the graveside is the same. This shows that the deceased was a man of God,” Wamuyu believes.
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