Koma Rock-The Immovable Rock.

Solid Rock-Kit Mikayi

Imposing hill

Travelling east from the Nairobi on the Nairobi-Kangundo highway, the expansive Ukambani plains roll out before the eyes.

As one approaches Kangundo town, a rocky outcrop comes into view. This is the famous Koma Rock, considered a shrine by many. The hill has been considered a sacred place since time immemorial.

Kamba elders used to journey to the rock to offer sacrifices to their gods at a designated shrine known locally as Ithembo. Ithembo in Kamba means a holy place. There, they would also pray for rain and for protection from plagues.

According to Paul Malinda, 80, the old folk believed that a strange and powerful force resided there. A fig tree still stands on the spot where the sacrifices were offered. Mzee Malinda says that stories were told of how visions of old men would appear at the shrine in the evenings and then disappear after a while.

He says that in 1970, road engineers constructing the Kangundo-Nairobi highway wanted to move the shrine so that the road could pass through the hill. This sparked a furious protest from Kamba elders. They agreed to have the shrine moved to another part of the hill, however, after a bag of sugar and two goats were offered to them as sacrifices.

"Despite the sacrifices, the blasting of rocks was very difficult — with machinery constantly breaking down," says Malinda. He claims the engineers abandoned the route after realising that there was an unknown power preventing the rock from being blasted. Today, the abandoned murram road is still visible from the top of the hill as it meanders through the Koma rock plains towards the city. Mzee Mwithi Musau, who is believed to have been born in 1900, says he was among those who used to offer sacrifices at the shrine, accompanying famous Kamba rainmakers and prophets.

Musau believes that it was a supernatural power that stopped the blasting of rocks.

Today, the shrine has been taken over by the Catholic Church, which has turned it into a site for pilgrimages. These days, it is often the scene of processions, singing of hymns, recital of prayers and fasting. Fr Thomas Vaddesary, who is in charge of the shrine, says the church chose it as a place where faithful could spend time in prayer.

"Koma rock is a place where traditional believers used to offer sacrifices in the past but now it has been turned into the shrine of our Lady," says Fr Thomas.

At the top of the shrine is an imposing 70-foot sculpture of Jesus Christ in the arms of his mother Mary after the body was lowered from the cross. Given its background and current religious activities, the Koma rock hill shrine is still a place of mystery for many.
For More Check This Out