Mythical Stories

The Akamba

The Akamba belong to the Central Bantu sub-group, which is the highland Bantu.
They occupy five major districts:- Machakos, Kitui, Makueni, Kibwezi and Mwingi in the Eastern province. Their principal town is Machakos, which was once proposed to be the capital of Kenya.

The major groups that form the Akamba community include: Akilungu, Evaau, and Athaisu.
They believed in a supreme being whom they referred to as “Ngai” or “Mweai”.
The Akamba were unique in that they traveled beyond their immediate boundaries and associated with the people they met. They were long distance traders and would go on foot.

Mythical Origin:

The Akamba believed that their ancestor who was called Mukuu was droped from heaven and landed at a place known as Vzciui on top of a rock which still has his foot prints. He had a wife and they gave birth to children who intermarried to form the Akamba community. They spread out due to fear of being raided off their cattle by the Maasai hence, they would move far and wide trying to find hide outs.

Kisii/ Gusii

The Gusii people or Abagusii as they call themselves dispersed at a mountain north of Lake Victoria. It is probable that the mountain could be Mt. Elgon. From the point of dispersion, the Gusii people migrated southwards and settled along the shores of lake Victoria. They called this settlement “Gisumo”, meaning sheds or kraal, which they built there.

It is also believed that in the distance past, the Kuria, Logolo, Suba, Bukusu, Kikuyu, Meru Embu and the Kamba were the same people. On their way South from a country called “Misri”, they dispersed to different directions, the Kisii to Mt. Elgon. It is believed that Mogusii was the founder the Gusii ethnic group. It is further believed that Mogusii was the son of Osogo, son of Moluuhio, son of Riabaka who was the son of Kimto. It is also believed that Molughia, the grand father of Mogusii had many sons who founded the various Baluhyia sub-tribes and among the seven sons included Mokikoyo and Osogo.

The Gikuyu are one of the major ethnic communities in Kenya their current population estimate rising to about six million. They occupy the land at the foot of Mount Kenya. The land of Kikuyu is to be found enclosed within the confines of four mountains namely Mt. Kenya at the North-East corner, the Aberdare ranges at the North west corner, the Ngong hills at the South west corner and Oldonyo Sapuk at the South east corner.

The Gikuyu

Mythical origin

The story goes that there was once a man by the name of Gikuyu and the name of the founder of the tribe was called Mogai. Mogai is believed to have created a big mountain called Kirinyaga. (Mt.Kenya). this mountain was believed to be his resting place. They also believe that Mogai chose a constructing place for Gikuyu. At the selected place, he also found a wife whom he named Muumbi. They had nine girls together. Then he prayed to Mogai for a male heir and he was instructed to offer a sacrifice.

After the sacrifice he was told to take home his wife and daughters. After that to go back to the sacred tree, and there he would find nine handsome young men who would be willing to marry his daughters under any condition that would please him and his family. They therefore married his daughters.

It is important to note that the clans were named according to the names of the daughters i.e. Agachiko, Acheera, Airimo, Amboi, Angare, Anjiro, Angoi, Ethaga and Aitherando. This suggests that the Gikuyu might have been a matrilineal community.