Kaya elder giving their blessings to children of former Kaya elder and politician Kahindi Jogolo during his burial in Marakani.
Former Kanu political supremo at the Coast Mzee Kahindi Jogolo was buried at his home in Mariakani,Kilifi County in an event that was attended by several politicians among them Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi.
Mzee Jogolo was a close friend of the late President Daniel Moi and was among key Kanu prominent people who led the region in various capacities including being the chairman of the then Kilifi County Council.
Because he was a Kaya elder, the late Jogolo who succumbed to heart failure two weeks ago was buried in traditional Kaya ritual at his expansive home near Mariakani Secondary school.
The burial was dominated by an array of traditional dressing, dances and some traditional prayers that were entirely undertaken by the Kaya elders drawn from the nine sub-tribes of the Mijikenda community.
The elders asked Governor Kingi to make sure that grabbed Kaya forests land are returned to the Kaya for preservation and conservation.
“Mr Governor, we have a problem because most of our Kaya land has been taken away. We need your intervention on this,” the elders said.
In a response, the governor called for a meeting with the elders next week to address the situation.
Mr Kingi also urged the elders to make sure that they persistency conduct the rightful rituals to appease the ancestors whom he said are not happy with the current happenings in Coast Kayas.
“We have foreigners and non-locals that are made Kaya elders. This I am sure has annoyed the ancestors, a reason that we no longer have rains and we have also continued to record poor harvests. There is a problem in our Kayas but definitely we shall talk about this when we meet in Kilifi for a meeting,” he said.
During the burial, the elders gave a Kaya traditional stick, a bow and arrow to the eldest son Kitsao Kahindi as an inheritance to his father’s kaya dominance.
Mr Kitsao then handed over the same to his young brother Jimmy Kahindi who is currently the speaker of the Kilifi County Assembly.
