Kikuyu council of elders on Wednesday lashed at Kiambu county assembly speaker Stephen Ndicho for criticising prayers at the Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga shrine.
The speaker earlier said the practice is outdated hence should be abandoned by the community.
"The council of elders and all traditionalists in Kenya should spare Kikuyus and other Kenyans from old ritualistic sojourns as they serves no spiritual fulfillment at all."
"As Christian believers, do we really need to travel to Mukuruwe Wa Nyagathanga to ostensibly pray to Mwene Nyaga - the ancient god of the Kikuyus?
I don't think so," Ndicho said.
This did not gone well with some of the residents who have accused the speaker of lacking wisdom. They said the assembly head is being misled and should leave the elders alone.
Wachira Wa Kiago, the council's national chairman, said Ndicho was wrong to criticise customs which bring the community members together.
"The speaker should know he is a leader and some utterances can destroy the community. The prayers were held long before Christianity came."
"Praying at the shrine as a community is our way of entrenching unity among us," Kiago said at their Kasarani offices.
He said the prayers held at the shrine on December 31, 2017 were meant for a peaceful and united country.
"The session was attended by church leaders drawn from various doctrines who have embraced the Kikuyu culture."
"The Kikuyu elders he is criticising are also Christians. We go to church. Cultural practices and religion should complement each other. The speaker should think twice before making reckless statements to the public," Kiago said.
He called upon the community to ignore the speaker's sentiments adding that they should in future vet leaders on their integrity and leadership skills.
"Those leaders who abandon their culture are destined to fail," the elder said.
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