Zaberio Mbuba, 78, welcomes visitors from far and wide to marvel at the 200-year-old Mutunguru tree on his land.
The tree can be seen from as far as 40km away.
Mzee Mbuba and residents believe that ancestral spirits linger around big trees hence the need to protect them.
He says the tree would be a great tourist attraction if the surrounding area was properly landscaped.
“This is an important landmark that can be protected to attract more tourists and help in conserving the environment, apart from its cultural significance,” Mbuba told KNA on Friday.
He regularly pulls out weed growing around the tree's trunk.
Mbuba does not charge visitors who come to marvel at the iconic tree, but he gladly accepts monetary gifts.
He has planted flowers around the tree, which he waters daily. He has also planted grass, which he trims regularly to keep away pests that may attack the tree.
Mbuba said cutting strangler trees is a great challenge. The stranglers grow on the tree and once they are mature, they kill the main tree.
He says the work is strenuous. “I am now aged and my strength is not as it used to be. I have also started losing eyesight so the county government should come in and employ personnel to take care of this tree,” he said.
Showing visitors the tree and engaging them in conversation poses another challenge. A more knowledgeable guide would be ideal, he said.
His inability to speak good Kiswahili or English frustrates some of his visitors, who lose patience with him. "There are those who even call me stupid!” he said.
His greatest fear is the tree might be cut down. A similar tree in Igoji, neighbouring Meru county, was cut down.
The tree would fetch more than Sh500,000 if harvested for timber.
Recently, the family nearly sold the tree when one of them was hospitalised and the family could not raise enough money to foot the medical bill.
“We were required to pay Sh40,000 upfront for him to undergo the Covid-19 test at Chogoria Hospital which turned negative. The total bill was too much for us to foot. Due to this desperation, we contemplated selling the tree for timber to raise the money,” said Hilda Mugambi, the wife of the sick man.
Hilda and Lawrence have been married for more than 12 years.