Kirinyaga village shaken as mysterious cries emerge from woman’s grave after ancestral land is sold
By Steve Ireri, July 26, 2026Residents of Kairungu village in Kirinyaga County have been left stunned and deeply worried by mysterious wailing sounds that they say have been coming from the grave of a woman for nearly two months.
The strange sounds are said to begin at around 6pm and continue throughout the night until about 6am, leaving residents living near the grave unable to sleep as they grapple with what they describe as an unexplained occurrence.
The report was shared by Kameme TV, which spoke to residents of the area as well as a Kikuyu elder who sought to explain the mysterious sounds from a cultural perspective.
The grave, which belongs to a couple, is located between a tea farm and is marked by green vegetation and flowers that have grown around it, together with a slightly raised mound of earth.
During the day, the grave remains quiet, but residents say the atmosphere changes dramatically once darkness sets in, with the strange wailing sounds beginning in the evening and continuing until morning.
A woman who lives near the grave told Kameme TV that the sounds have left residents shocked and frightened, with some struggling to sleep at night.
“There has been a weird wailing sound coming from that grave, and we have all been left shocked and worried as residents of this village. We are not even able to sleep,” she said.
According to residents interviewed by Kameme TV, the strange sounds began days after the piece of land on which the couple’s grave is located was sold.
Locals said the land was sold despite the owner who is buried there having previously made it clear that the property should not be sold.
One resident claimed the wailing begins at approximately 6pm and continues for the entire night.
“So that sound starts coming from the grave at 6 in the evening and ends at 6 in the morning. And the whole night the sound persists,” she said.
The residents further explained that there are two graves at the site, belonging to the man and his wife, but said the mysterious sound appears to come specifically from the woman’s grave.
“So the graves there, there are two, of the man and the wife, but the one where the sound is coming from is that of the woman,” the resident added.
The unusual occurrence has since sparked concern among residents, with the community turning to traditional explanations in an attempt to understand why the sounds began after the sale of the land.
Speaking to Kameme TV, Kikuyu elder Erastus Njeru Warufeni offered a cultural interpretation of the events, saying such occurrences could be connected to words or warnings left behind by deceased family members.
Njeru explained that, according to Kikuyu cultural beliefs, a person could make a strong declaration before their death, and such words could later manifest in ways that leave the living questioning their meaning.
“Someone may say something and die. But that word they said is a sound and comes to vent later. It is still a sound,” Njeru said.
The elder further explained that parents could make such declarations because of their concerns about the future of their families and children, particularly when it comes to ancestral land.
“Sometimes parents make certain words because of the future of their kinsmen and their children. Because ancestral land is not something to joke with. It should be inherited. You are given that land so your kids can also inherit it, and the words they make are kind of a security,” Njeru added.
According to Njeru, the situation could therefore be linked to the deceased woman’s wishes regarding the land and what would happen to it after her death.
He compared the situation to writing something on a blackboard and later erasing it, suggesting that, within Kikuyu cultural practices, there are ways of addressing such situations if the living acknowledge what may have gone wrong and seek forgiveness.
“But there could be a remedy, just like a teacher writes on the board but may rub out what they wrote. So here in our Kikuyu culture, that is done if the person cleanses themselves and retracts their ways. They may appease the dead and get forgiveness,” Njeru said.
He explained that traditional cleansing and appeasement rituals could involve slaughtering an animal and preparing a mixture of blood, honey and milk, which, according to the cultural practice he described, could then be sprayed or applied to the person seeking cleansing.
Njeru said such a process was viewed as a way of seeking forgiveness and restoring harmony after a perceived violation of the wishes of the deceased.
He further warned that, according to the cultural beliefs he was explaining, ignoring such a situation could have serious consequences for the family.
“For that land, they will have to seek appeasement because it could have bigger consequences, like children dying anyhow or other misfortunes because of words that had been left behind. It is like a curse,” Njeru added.