Cultural Centres in Muranga
Mukurwe Wa Nyagathanga: Agikuyu’s Eden
The venerable Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga is the most culturally significant site in Murang’a County, for it is considered by the Agikuyu (Kikuyu) people to be their ancestral origin. Needless, perhaps, to point out is the fact that Agikuyu are the most populus and distributed community of Kenya’s 45 cultures. While not in the limelight as one would expect of this shrine, it holds great historical and spiritual importance in Kikuyu mythology and culture. The old name ‘Mukurwe’ refers to revered fig tree that was present at the site, symbolizing strength and continuity.
In days of yore, elders would gather at Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga to perform important ceremonies such as blessings for good harvests, rain, and protection for the community. Today, Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga is not only a key cultural heritage site but also a place of interest for visitors who want to learn more about Kikuyu traditions, mythology, and history. The site has a series of neat traditional Kikuyu huts and structures that depict how the Agikuyu lived in the days gone by.
According to the Agikuyu tribal legend, that has remained changeless, consistent and continuing, we are told that in the beginning of things, when mankind started to fill the earth, Gikuyu, the founder of the tribe, was called by the Ngain, or Mugai, the Divider of the Universe, and was given as his share the land with ravines, the rivers, forests, and game. Gikuyu and his wife Mumbi are main figures in Kikuyu mythology, and they are said to have been blessed by Ngai at this very site. At the same time Mugai made a big mountain which he called Kiri-Nyaga (today’s Mount Kenya), as the resting place when on inspection tour, and as a sign of his wonders.
He then took Gikuyu to the top of the mountain of mystery, and showed him the beauty of the country that He had given him. While still at the top of the mountain, the Mugai pointed out to Gikuyu a spot full of fig trees (mikuyu) at the centre of the country. He gave them dominion over Kikuyuland, a vast area bound by the four landmarks of Mt. Kenya (Kirinyaga), Ngong Hills (Kiri Mbiruiru), the Aberdares (Nyandarua), and Ol Donyo Sabuk (Kia Njahi). He commanded him to descend and start his lineage at the selected place aptly dubbed Mukurwe wa Gathanga.
As is goes, Ngai, the Divider, descended Gikuyu and his wife Mumbi on the Eden of Mukurwe wa Gathanga and blessed them with nine (or ten) daughters, but no sons. Disturbed at the prospect of not having a male heir, Gikuyu, in his despair, called upon Ngai or Mwene Nyaga who obliged him to take Mumbi and his nine daughters, a lamb and a kid to a Mugumo shrine and offer a burnt sacrifice under it. The legend goes that, on return, they found the promised nine young men with whom Gikuyu’s daughters propitiously birthed the prodigious Kikuyu Community.
In was decided that each of the nine daughters should form a clan in her own name. Thus the nine principal Gikuyu clans were originated: Aceera, Agaciku, Airimu, Ambui, Angari, Anjiru, Angui, Ethaga and Aitharandu. The large group formed was given the ancestral collective name of Ruriri rwa Mbari ya Mumbi (or Mumbi’s tribe), an inviolable title of chastity still widely used to hail the Agikuyu.
And while many outsiders decry that Gikuyu is a complex culture, it all boils down to the nine clans where every Kikuyu has roots. For millennia this clan set up of the nine houses of Gikuyu was the pillar of most relations, especially marriages. Presently, the Kikuyu community is still loosely organized into nine clans. It is not at all rare for the community to offer prayers and sacrifices at sacred sites, such as the noted Mukuyu fig trees. Mukurwe Wa Nyagathanga is found at Gakuyu village, 52 from Thika town, and about 12 km west of Muranga University of Technology.
That Kenya has a rich cultural diversity needs no introduction. It is an invaluable blessing to the nation. To foster an understanding of this heritage, there are cultural centers around Kenya that provide insights into the tapestry of cultures and traditions in their regions. These centers preserve and celebrate traditional practices and customs amidst the shift towards modernization and globalization.
Index of Cultural Centres in Kenya
Baringo County - Mogotio Equator Center, Bomet County - Kipsigis Oasis Sanctuary Culture, Kaplelach Cultural Centre, Busia County - Kakapel Cultural Centre, Garissa County - Garissa Cultural Centre, Isiolo County - Gotu Cultural Centre, Malka Cultural Centre, Kakamega County - The Nabongo Mumia Centre, Kericho County - Kipsigis Cultural Museum, Kiambu County - Gikuyu Cultural Museum, Kirinyaga County - Thingira Cultural Centre, Lamu County - Swahili House Centre, Mosque College Lamu, House of Habib Swaleh, Machakos County - The Syokimau Cultural Centre, Makueni County - Makueni Cultural Center, Meru County - Murithi Mpuri Cultural Centre, Thiiri Centre, Mombasa County - Swahili Cultural Centre, Little Theatre Club, Bombolulu Cultural Centre, Ngomongo Villages, Muranga County - Mukurwe Wa Nyagathanga, Nairobi County - Bomas of Kenya, Kenya Cultural Centre, The Goethe Institut, Alliance Française, Nakuru County - Bomas of Nakuru, Nandi County - Cheruiyot Ecosystem, Nyamira County - Otenyo Cultural Centre, Samburu County - Umoja Women Village, Tana River County - Tana Delta Cultural Center, Tharaka Nithi County - Ura Gate Meru
Murang’a County is a rich agricultural and cultural hub, known for its historical significance, beautiful landscapes, and important role in Kenya’s tea and coffee industries. The scenic hillscapes and cultural heritage makes Murang’a County a fascinating destination for visitors interested in nature, history, and agriculture.
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A Guide to Muranga County
A Summa Digest of Muranga
About Muranga Way Back When
40 Destinations in Muranga County, arranged as one would visit these - south, north, west then east - with aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:
Gatura Greens Purple Tea Farm Tours, Kimakia Tea Cottage, Kimakia Falls, Kanunga Falls, Ndakaini Dam, Ndakaini Dam Marathon, Muchiri's Resort, Aberdare Forest, Elephant Hill, Aberdare Bongo Ecolodge, Ranges View Lodge, Manguyo Falls, Mathioya River, Kenya Fly Fishers (Southern Camp), Aberdare Cottages and Fishing Lodge, Mathioya River Lodge, Karuri Gakure Grave Site, Tuthu Catholic Church, Mukurwe Wa Gathanga, Karia Ka Mbari Ya Ngware, Wangu Wa Makeri Shrine, C70 Gacharage-Kangema Road, Maragua Dam, Maragua Falls, Old A2 Route, Muranga town, Kakuzi Boran Barn, Makuyu Golf Club, Makuyu Ridge, Eco Farmhouse, Muranga Gorges, Mathioya Dam, Muranga (St. James & All Martyrs) Church, Stanley’s Haven, Sagana Getaway Retreat, Tetura Sagana Camp, Laibon Gardens & Campsite, Jangwani Camp
Know More About Muranga County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including strip maps, Airports, Climate & National Monuments
Maximum temperatures ranges between 26°C and 30°C, while the minimum ranges between 14°C and 18°C. In the western area, which is mostly high altitudes, the minimum temperatures can be as low as 6°C in July.
The topography and geology of Muranga is more or less sloping westerly towards the long Aberdare Range, the rain catchment from where most of rivers draining it originate. All these rivers flow south-eastward bound, to join Tana.