Police lobe teargas as elders curse, reject affordable housing in Githunguri
Central
By
George Njunge
| Apr 10, 2026
Githunguri township was, for some time, turned into a battleground as police fought with elders and youth protesting against the use of what land they regard as sacred for an affordable housing project.
Trouble started when tens of police officers blocked roads in a bid to stop the members of the Kikuyu Council of Elders from accessing the 58-acre piece of land. The continued presence of police heightened tension with groups of people dotted throughout the town, talking in hushed tones.
When the elders assembled to address members of the press, unprovoked police officers fired teargas at the elderly, who stayed put but the intensity of the smoke made them scamper, with a good number of them getting choked by teargas fumes and some getting minor injuries.
During the press briefing, the elders said that they will not allow anyone to make a decision on behalf of the community.
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The elders claim that the piece of land in Githunguri was set aside many years ago for a community and cultural shrine. They said that the community owns the land they should be consulted as the constitution talks of public participation.
“This project is avoidable in Githunguri land and we are declaring as community that we will not tolerate any construction on this community land, it is illegal and declaration of war here,” the elders said.
When the word spread in nearby Githunguri town that police were clobbering elders, the youths moved to protect the elders, escalating the matter further.
Police were forced to use extra force to contain the situation that was threatening to spiral out of proportion.
Githunguri became a no-go zone with police battling infuriated youths demanding that police cease teargassing the elders and also respect the community's will.
A youth who sought anonymity said that the move to build affordable housing in the 58 acres of land was sinister and had an ill motive.
“Everyone in Githunguri knows how sacred this land is; we have grown knowing so, and even our MP Gathoni Wamuchomba knows so. When our MP approves or insists that the construction must go on because she supports UDA and Ruto, she should know that as a community we don’t approve this and they will need to bring new comers here to get the houses as no Githunguri resident will ever register for this house,” the youth said.
In a sudden turn of events, the elders broke several calabashes as a way of cursing the project and anyone in support of the project, an act that is feared by the Kikuyu community.
The elder maintained that the insistence of the government to construct affordable housing is desecrating what they termed as a holy shrine.
“This is reckless desecration of a land that the government knows is sacred for many years and we will not take it lightly; it undermines the preservation of the cultural history of the Agikuyu,” one elder said.