M’ Mwamba M’ Kunyia: The Tharaka spiritual leader who blessed, cursed souls

 The Tharaka community is mourning the death of its traditional divine leader, Mugwe, who blessed, cursed and intervened with the ancestors on his subjects’ behalf.

M’ Mwamba M’ Kunyia, who died last week aged 92, has been the community’s spiritual supremo for 20 years.

He has been the link between the community and its Maker, interceding for the people and worshipping the God of Mount Kenya.

And as modernity erodes traditional values in Kenya, the Tharakas have clung to their ancient ways of life, with a well-orgasnised and highly spiritual community structure.

The Tharaka, northern Bantus, believe that they originated from a place known as Mbwa in Coast, led by Mugwe, and settled in the present-day Tharaka-Nithi County before the colonial era.

From Coast, they came along other nine sub-tribes of the Ameru— Tigania, Igembe, Tharaka, Imenti, Igoji, Chuka Muthambi, Mwimbi and Miutuni.

To date, each sub-tribe of the Ameru community has its own ‘Mugwe’ who offer sacrifices and healing on behalf of their communities, though the practices are slowly being eroded by Christianity.

However, the community with 220,015 people, as captured in the 2019 census, no longer shares close cultural ties with the Ameru.

The power of Mugwe is hereditary and has been handed down from father to son within the same family for generations.

In Tharaka, Mugwe comes from the lineage of a person known as Mbai of Kithuri clan who is believed to have led the people from Mbwa to Igaironi (dispersal point)— a sacred place in Tharaka South Sub-County.

Mugwe guides the Tharaka people on how to relate with Mwenenyaga, their god the creator who resides in Kirinyaga (Mt Kenya), and always prays while facing the mountain.

He also leads the community in praying for rain every season, blesses seeds at the onset of planting season and seeks ancestors’ intervention in times of famine and other catastrophes such as disease outbreaks.

The spiritual leader offers sacrifice before the start of the community’s circumcision season to seek blessings from the ancestors.

He also prays for the protection of the new initiates from death and other bad omen.

Mugwe made a common appearance at the annual Ura-gate Tharaka Cultural Festival at the entrance of Meru National Park— an event that starts and ends with his prayers.

Cultural practices

According to Simon Ndonco, president of the Society for Alternative Learning and Transformation (SALT), an organization that embraces positive cultural practices in the Tharaka community, M’ Kunyia was among elders who led nationwide traditional prayers to curse Covid-19 pandemic early 2020.

But corona seems to have defied the curse and it had killed more than 4,700 by the end of yesterday as more than 11,000 patients battled it at home and in hospital.

“We have lost our mediator, Mugwe, who has protected the Tharaka community against evils for many years” said Mr Ndonco.

Politicians also visit Mugwe at his Nkunguru home to seek blessings and protection.

While in power, Mugwe grooms a successor from his lineage to take over after his death— making sure that there is no spiritual power vacuum in the office.

Ndonco said his burial is expected to be attended by cultural leaders from various parts of the country and beyond— a club of eminent persons with whom he consulted during his tenure.

“He has been very resourceful to locals and even to history scholars across the world,” he said.

The late M’ Kunyia will be buried in Nkunguru village in Tharaka South Sub-County near Nkunguru shrine in a special ceremony in accordance with customary law and governance.

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