Mount Kenya · The Summit Where God Lives

Mount Kenya is the second highest peak in Africa; there are glaciers at the summit, and bamboo forest and moorland on its flanks. The Kikuyu regard it as the dwelling of the god Ngai, and traditionally prayed facing it and sited their houses so that it stood in front of them.

The old rules were that a climb required a priest, that nothing may be taken away from the mountain, and that no one may make noise in it. Colonial-era climbers were warned off by local people several times, and the reason was not danger but “disrespect”.

It is now a national park and a protected area. In the early morning the snow on the summit is visible; people below the mountain say that is where God washed his hands.

Folklore / Mount Kenya · Kenya / Time immemorial