A group of thieves in Meru could die from suicide, road accident or self-poisoning for stealing maize that was meant for orphans under the care of a church.
Their only salvation is to return the stolen yield, elders have warned. The revelation came after a priest took the odd route to ensure the thieves face the consequences of their action.
It is tit for tat — a fair game, as some people might put it. Ordinarily, prayers inspired by the Holy Spirit are the greatest tools many Christians would expect priests to use against those who wrong them. After all, they are believed to be godly and should pursue divine powers to deal with evil in line with the scripture.
Better yet, from what is considered earthly by some members of the faithful, they can turn to the authorities to investigate and punish the offenders in line with the law. Many clerics go with either, but Father Francis Limo Riwa goes a step further.
Taking the prayer or prosecution route would be a long shot, the man of the cloth must have thought when he realised his Ndekero farm had been raided. It was disappointing as the maize would soon be harvested.
He pondered over it and concluded that a curse would suffice and provide the easiest route to justice. Hence, Riwa sought elders’ intervention. He wants elders to curse the culprits. Their number has yet to be known.
The Catholic cleric says the maize was meant for the vulnerable children under his care. The offenders must not go scot-free. This is not the first time he has been robbed.
“I decided to call the elders for intervention because these thieves have refused and rejected God. I believe they will fear and obey the elders,” Riwa told journalists.
“How can they steal from our vulnerable children of St Francis, St Clare and St Philomena, who toil and sweat tilling the land to get produce from farms to feed themselves, but when it is harvesting time, thieves come to harvest! I believe in the elders who protect me and the rights of the children. I am not turning back.”
Riwa hopes the culprits will fear the elders and come out.
The Njuri Ncheke Supreme Council of Elders has taken up the matter. They will teach the thieves a lesson if they do not heed their call. They must return the maize, or brace themselves for tragedies. They will soon be under a spell and would commit suicide, poison themselves or perish in road accidents.
Tigania West Njuri Ncheke chairman Julius Mbogori said the curse is imminent.
“We are saddened by thieves stealing from children who don’t have their parents. They have seven days to come for cleansing and return the maize they stole. Let them inform the chief, father Riwa, or come to us,” he said.
“They may be hit by a vehicle, commit suicide or take poison. If you are a family member and you see these signs to your kin, report to Njuri elders immediately for the next action.”
Mbogori said they will have to slaughter and burn a sheep as part of the ritual. The elders have to protect Riwa and the children, he said.
Patrick Kailikia, the farm manager, said they incurred a lot of expenses. He urged the thieves to come out and repent before the worst happens.
Ironically, Father Riwa advised the youth to invest their riches in God, “fear, trust and obey Him so they have blessed and fruitful lives and enjoy everlasting peace”.
Riwa is no stranger to the damaging effect of crime. In March this year, robbers poisoned eight pigs at his farm and stole a solar-powered water pump.
A month later, two suspects linked to the theft were burnt to death. Njuri Ncheke elders put a curse known as Uthi on them. Mbogori and 67 elders gathered at their shrine, applied red ochre on their cheeks, slaughtered a lamb and threw it into a fire set on Sodom apple plant twigs.
Ripe Sodom apple fruits were thrown into the fire as the elders chanted curses. The ceremony lasted from 10am to 4pm. Mbogori said the lamb is “accepted by God” and in 21 days the culprits either commit suicide or die in an accident, among other tragedies.
“Uthi is irreversible. They will perish as the lamb burned to ashes,” he said, adding the robbers were armed with guns and daggers and had killed three people and stolen several motorcycles.
Witnesses claimed the suspects soon began terrorising residents of Nchiru in Tigania West and were killed. According to the community, Uthi is the worst curse the elders can invoke, worse than another called Kithiri. Unlike Uthi, one can be cleansed of Kithiri after paying a fine of three white bulls.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
