Kaya forests in danger of extinction

By NGUMBAO KITHI

The Kaya sacred forests are relict patches of what once sheltered the fortified villages of the Mijikenda people on the Kenyan Coast. The Mijikenda are nine communities living at the Coast who speak a similar language. They use the traditional forests as their sacred worship places.

Today, the forests are under threat due to the massive developments targeting tourists. Massive pole cutting by local hoteliers to build the popular traditional makuti huts has considerably damaged the forests.

Surveillance teams

A Mijikenda elder at the kaya forest. [PHOTO: OMONDI ONYANGO/standard]

The nine communities have come together and set up surveillance teams in an effort to salvage the forests, which are mostly dense thickets that are difficult to walk through.

Apart from their spiritual significance, the forests are also used to perform various ceremonies and are customarily protected by a council of elders called the Kaya.

Most of these forests have coral reefs. Of special mention is the Kaya Waa found among the Digo community.

At Kaya Waa, there is a large cave with religious significance to the local people.

In 1992, the site was gazetted as a national monument under the care of the National Museums of Kenya.

Controversy

Sadly, there are wrangles among the local communities over original ownership of the forests with the Mijikenda insisting it is their homeland. Kaya Waa is particularly threatened as locals rush to acquire land.

This forest was once the centre of a land allocation controversy in 1988. A successful private members motion in Parliament saw it being gazetted as a national monument.

At the same time, the Government has directed community elders to acquire title deeds for the parcels of land they live in, prompting invasion as locals seek to own as much land as possible.

The forests came into the limelight in 2003 when several Cabinet ministers from the Mijikenda community were crowned Kaya elders.