Bad omen? Mystery fall of 100-year-old Mugumo tree puzzles elders

Residents in Muthure village, Kikuyu sub-county, Kiambu county, have been dumbfounded by the sudden fall of a 100-year (Mugumo) fig tree.

The 30ft tree reportedly dropped with a thud and partially dried up. The unexpected event happened only two days after community elders had conducted a religious sacrifice under the tree.

"We saw the tree falling from the window. We thought it was just a branch until we saw the whole of it swaying until finally falling," Mbira wa Muroki, a resident explained.

Mugumo tree is revered in the Agikuyu community as an altar where forefathers used to conduct traditional sacrifices.

Kikuyu elders, known as "Kiama Kia Maa" are calling for a meeting to decipher the meaning of the fall.

According to them, the fall of a mugumo tree is considered a bad omen.