The Meru council of elders has cursed armed robbers who have been terrorising residents in Nchiru, Tigania West constituency.
The robbers have killed three people in the area.
Uringo division Njuri Ncheke chairman Julius Mbogori said the robbers who are armed with guns and daggers have wreaked havoc in the area.
“Three armed men recently attacked a resident known as Kinyua, luckily he escaped. In California they stole from residents and stabbed some with daggers. Eight pigs belonging to Catholic priest Francis Liwa were poisoned. A solar water pump was stolen,” Mbogori said
The elders performed a curse known as ‘Uthi’ on the culprits. Uthi is the worst curse that the elders can invoke, worse than ‘Kithiri’. One can be cleansed from Kithiri after paying ‘Mirongo Ithatu’, a fine of three white bulls.
On Saturday, 67 elders gathered at their shrine, applied red ochre on their cheeks, slaughtered a lamb and threw it into a fire made from dry twigs from the sodom apple. They threw in ripe sodom apples as they chanted curses. The ceremony started at 10am and ended at 4pm.
Mbogori said the lamb would be accepted by God and in 21 days the culprits would either commit suicide or die in an accident.
“Uthi is irreversible. they will perish like the lamb burned to ashes,” Mbogori said.
Matias Maingi said his bar was raided and all his stock stolen.
He said several traders have suffered losses due to rampant theft.
Uringo division Njuri Ncheke secretary Douglas Ntoiti said they do not deal with cases reported to police but they can only curse if the matter has not been reported to the authorities.
