There was drama in Ol Kalou town on Friday after a trader blocked a road contractor from cutting down two indigenous trees in the market.
David Wanjohi, popularly known as Elnino said he will not allow the 66-year-old
Mununga tree,(ekerbergia
capensis) and seven-years-old Pondo from being brought down by the contractor under instructions of the Nyandarua county.
Wanjohi said it would be better for him to die than see the two trees in front of his shop brought down.
The trees were to be cut to pave way for construction of parking under the ongoing upgrading of Ol Kalou town.
He kissed and sat under the Pondo tree and mobilized residents to help him defend the two.
A worker who had been hired by Hannah Nyambura Ndugire of Nephy Construction Company to cut the trees was chased away and warned he will be "slaughtered" by with his power saw if he attempted to cut the two trees.
On Thursday, after learning of the plan to do away with the trees, Elnino made a big signboard and nailed it on the Mununga tree to warn those who want to destroy it.
The Mununga tree is said to have been planted in 1952 by the founding president, Jomo Kenyatta, prior to his arrest and eventual detention in October the same year.
The Pondo tree was planted by Elnino himself in October 2011, the day environmentalist Wangari Maathai was cremated.
“Wangari Mathaai was my hero. We were told to plant a tree in her honour. I did not have land to plant trees and so I decided to plant this Pondo tree in front of my shop in her honour”, he said
Elnino said he paid Ss1,000 to purchase the Pondo
tree from the forestry department at Ol Kalou.
“I fenced around my tree to protect it from destruction and watered it daily. It is unfair for us to be told to plant a tree and then some people destroy them on flimsy excuses that they are ugly”, he said
Another 85-years-old Bernard Njoroge shed tears at the news the Mununga tree would be cut.
He said he relocated to Nyandarua from Kiambu in 1966 and used to sit under the tree buying peas from the farmers as by then he was a trader.
The Ol Kalou-Nakuru stage was then located here.
Njoroge said after independence, President Jomo Kenyatta would always pass through Ol Kalou to and from Nakuru and would stop and address residents under this tree.
It is under this tree that J.M.Kariuki announced that the then Colonial Court Chambers, now J.M.Memorial Hospital has been converted into a District hospital.
Another Francis Kambo said the tree must be left alone otherwise the residents may suffer a curse from the founding father.
He said anything that was put in place by Jomo Kenyatta must be conserved and protected.
Karau MCA, Ken Mukira, said during the 2013 elections campaign, President Uhuru Kenyatta addressed residents under this tree a few days to elections and went ahead to win.
“This tree defines our history and must be protected at all cost. Sometimes residents who want to discuss serious issues also come here. This is a historical sight and is synonymous with Nyandarua headquarters as I am informed president Jomo Kenyatta stood here when he declared Ol Kalou the headquarter of Nyandarua”.