Rocky myths and legends Nzambani Rock in Kitui is surrounded by mystery BY STEVEN GITONGA
Nzambani historic rock is situated some 8 kilometres south of Kitui town and is visible on the left hand side of the road when driving to Mutomo. (Photo: KEFRI)
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ot far from the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) - Kitui Centre, lies the famous Nzambani Rock, locally known as Vya ya Nzambani. This is a unique, conspicuous, 60 feet tall rocky mass, situated 8.4 kilometres from Kitui town, along the Kitui Kibwezi road. Nzambani Rock is an exceptional attraction, often visited because of the mythical story about it told from one generation to another. It is said that if one goes round the rock seven times, one will change one’s gender. Two distinct legends are told of this rock. Once upon a time, a beautiful Kamba maiden, Nzambani, together with two other girls, went to fetch firewood in the then vast wilderness of Kitui. While doing so, she spotted a beautiful round stone that she thought would be good for grinding tobacco for her grandfather. She cunningly covered the stone with a heap of her collected firewood. After the girls had gathered enough firewood, Nzambani tried to lift her load but could not. She cried for help from the other girls but all their efforts were unsuccessful. They could not pry the stone and the firewood from the ground. Since Nzambani could not leave her load, she excused her friends who rushed back to the village to seek more help. Unfortunately, darkness set in before they reached the village, and no one dared enter the dense forest in the dark. The following day when the rescuers went in, they found that Nzambani had turned into a rock. Thus, in her honour the rock was called Nzambani. The locals say that the stone continues to grow to-date. According to Mbeva Mutaki, the gatekeeper at Nzambani rock, another legend is told that during the early days of exploration in Africa, some white missionaries1 arrived in Kitui The first Europeans to reach the interior of Kambaland were the German missionaries Johann Ludwig Krapf and Johannes Rebmann of the Church Missionary Society (CMS), in 1849. At that time, Kitui was the home of Kivoi, a celebrated Kamba trader who commanded a large following that included slaves. It is said that Kivoi met the missionaries in Mombasa, and guided them to Kitui where - on December 3, 1849 - they became the first Europeans to set eyes on Mount Kenya.
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Miti July - September 2013
and were met by hostile locals. The missionaries walked around Nzambani rock to escape the Kamba warriors who were pursuing them, baying for their blood. One missionary was cornered by the warriors and sought refuge inside a cave. There he stumbled upon women’s clothes, which he wore to disguise himself. When the warriors caught up with him, they were surprised to find that the man had turned into a woman. Thus, the legend goes that if you walk around the stone seven times, you change your gender. The top of Nzambani rock provides a great view over Kitui district and its environs. The flora is mainly dry woodlands, bush lands with small covers of dry forests. Generally, degradation of natural resources is evident. Irrespective of these challenges, KEFRI, with assistance from the Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA), has in the recent past used the area around Nzambani rock for the germination, propagation and raising of the Melia volkensii tree, locally known as mukau.
In addition, KEFRI has domesticated a selection of high-value trees. These include: Dalbergia melanoxylon (mpingo), an indigenous slow-growing tree, highly valued for woodcarving, Terminalia brownii (muuku), an indigenous species favoured for its good form and resistance to termites, Senna siamea , an exotic tree, prioritised for its fast growth and provision of fuel wood), Mangifera indica (the mango tree), and Citrus sinensis (citrus) - for its adaptability and fruits. These are among many other tree species being promoted for rehabilitating the degraded dryland regions of Kenya. The writer is an Information and Communication Officer, KEFRI Email: sgitonga@kefri.org stevegitonga@yahoo.com
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