Meru Council of Elders Curse Lands Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi, Ask President Uhuru to Sack Him

Lands Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi has been cursed by the Meru Council of Elders, Njuri Ncheke. Hundreds of elders converged at a shrine in Nchiru, Tigania West for the ritual and called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to sack the Cabinet Secretary.

Kaimenyi was cursed together with Chuka University vice chancellor Prof Elias Njoka after the council accused the duo of leading the disunity among the council, leaving the council split into two functions

The elders who addressed the press after the ritual accused Kaimenyi and Njoka of using their positions to break up Njuri Ncheke, which was started over 100 years ago.

According to  Ncheke’s Chairman Linus Kathera and Secretary General Josphat Murangiri, the two will only be cleansed after paying "Mirongo ithatu", which is a heavy penalty spelt by the community customs.

The elders further called on president Uhuru to sack Kaimenyi, failure to which they will lead a demonstration to the statehouse to pressure the head of state to axe him. "We want to tell the government that CS Kaimenyi is the one who lead a group of elders who meet in hotels, which created confusion in the Meru community as they think we have two factions of Njuri Ncheke ,” Kathera said.

"As the elders we want Kaimenyi to be sacked as the minister because he is using his position to fight Njuri Ncheke," M'ngechu a member of the council added.

"We are the one who helped him to get the CS post and now we want him stripped the position for disrespecting us. When he is in Meru he holds meetings with a group of elders comprising of the ousted elders who were cursed by the council. They meet to strategize on how to fight us," another elder Joseph Muriungi said.

However, Kaimenyi dismissed the 'cursing’, terming it as boorish. "It is surprising for the elders to go to the shrine and say Kaimenyi and Njoka are the ones causing the infighting in the Njuri Ncheke while they do not have evidence to support their claims.

"What l know is that Njuri Ncheke loves every child of a 'Meruan', now that you have started to curse your children Kaimenyi and Njoka what kind of elders are you?,"  Kaimenyi said.

He added, "I was not appointed as a CS because of a Njuri Ncheke elder, but because of the wish and trust the Meru people showed in me. Who are they to call for my sacking?"