By Shaban Omar
It is Saturday mid-morning and Shaban Ndegwa in the company of other Kaya elders is preparing to get into Kaya Mtswakara.
Kaya Mtswakara is one of the largest Kayas in the coastal region believed to be very powerful.
It is located in Kinango constituency, Kwale County.
A section of Kaya Mtwakara forest in Kinango, Kwale County
The Kaya is believed to have huge pythons that represent the oldest ancestral spirits referred to as Koma.
The pythons (spirits) are said to be harmless to those who don’t break the rules of the Kayas and very deadly to uninvited guests. They are not ordinary reptiles and are rarely seen by the naked eye.
Once spotted, they miraculously disappear and the person who saw any one of them falls very sick or dies if not well taken through certain rituals to seek forgiveness and protection.
Ndegwa step-by-step follows the rules of the Kayas not to anger the Komas.
Kaya Mstwakara chairman Shaban Ndegwa summons an ancestral spirit at the Kaya in Kinango, Kwale county
Interestingly, he takes off his shoes then colleagues follow before entering the Kaya forest.
According to Ndegwa, one must remove their shoes, and then their feet get sprinkled with some water that has been mixed with leaves from ancient trees (Mavuo) before entering the forest.
The mavuo are for cleansing aimed at removing any impurity. This is because the Kayas are sacred.
Failure to do, one will be punished by the ancestors. The punishment can be ‘spiritual’ slaps, whipping, or seeing and hearing weird things.
A section of elders from Kaya Kinondo perform a jig after conducting special prayers
Ndegwa explains that any guest must be accompanied by a Kaya elder who will alert the spirits using some special words.
He said it is not easy for one to get to the Kayas adding that people normally get lost. They wander and are brought back to the same spot they started walking.
Ndegwa now walks straight to a pot that is half buried under a tree. It has white and red ribbons around it and is filled with mavuo.
The pot is called Fingo, the heart of the Kaya where all ancestral spirits are summoned.
Fingo is a Mijikenda word that means a fort and only a few senior Kaya elders can access it.
The heart of Kaya Tiwi shrine in Kwale County
“This is the engine, it is an ancient chemical that protects us and provides guidance because all the komas are here,” said Ndegwa.
He said the fingos are often dangerous and cannot be openly placed. It is always protected by powerful gods.
Women on their menstrual cycles, pregnant, or who have just given birth are not allowed because the spirits can harm both the baby and the mother.
Those who have had sex and not taken a proper bath are also forbidden.
Ndegwa said all the witch doctors before preparing their medicine must first speak to the Komas through the fingos.
He also said it is through the fingos where Kaya elders appease the ancestral spirits and ask for various help.
The Kaya Mtswakara chairman said there are also different types of fingos adding that some are kept in homesteads to protect them from evil eyes.
Kaya Mstwakara chairman Shaban Ndegwa speaks in an interview in Kinango
He said they protect home occupants from the menace of night runners, witchcraft and theft activities.
“The fingos can make your home invisible. It can turn it into a huge ocean, desert or anything scary to keep off people with bad motives against you,” he said.
He said they can also trap thieves and night runners until morning.
Ndegwa said at the Kayas, that before doing anything, the elders must first sing and dance to the ancestral spirits as a way of greeting and appreciating them.
He said the songs are very important and the rituals cannot be completed without them.
Ndegwa said the songs were composed by great ancestors and are passed from generation to generation through practice and word of mouth.
Kaya Majimoto shrine in Lunga-Lunga, Kwale County
He said on special occasions sacrifices are offered where animals are slaughtered to appease the gods and locals feast.
Ndegwa said the elders must also talk to the ancestral spirits before leaving the Kayas so that they can take charge.
Other Kayas found in Kwale are Kaya Tiwi, Diani, Kinondo, Majimoto, Dzombo, Bombo among others.
