African Church Information Service
Oscar Obonyo
21 April 2003
Nairobi — Kenya's news-making gigantic python, Omieri, which three months ago appeared and received friendly treatment in a tiny village in Nyakach district in western Kenya, was recently in danger following threats by a section of Christians to burn it, saying it was "a symbol of the devil". The threat on the serpent's life has invoked sharp differences in opinion between old-time foes, Christians and traditionalists. Oscar Obonyo reports.
"Omieri is a devil which should not be adored or worshipped but destroyed. It is a pity that religious leaders are keeping quiet as the devil grows in our midst," Shadrack Owuor, Archdeacon of Kisumu Central Anglican Church in Nyanza Province in western Kenya, complained recently.
Incidentally, Owuor belongs to the Luo tribe - the very community that treats the 14-meter long mythical snake like a humanly king.
It is said Omieri brings good luck to locals, including members of the wider Luo community in the East African countries of Tanzania and Uganda.
The threat by the man of God from Luoland that he would lead members of his church to burn the snake has caused angry reactions from a cross-section of Kenyans.
Enraged Luo elders from Nyando village in Nyakach district in Naynza Province, the unofficial habitat of the snake, have dared their "own son" Owuor, to set foot in Nyando and make good his threat "if he is man enough".
"Omieri has done nothing to deserve this abuse. Just as we are not interfering with his faith, so do we expect him to respect and keep off ours, that he himself is in fact supposed to observe," warns their spokesman, Mzee William Osore Jaoko.
Raval Guru, a Nairobi businessman and member of the Hindu community, also accuses Owuor of trying to destroy wild animals.
"Nobody has the right to destroy the life of any wildlife. The snake had neither harmed anybody nor brought bad luck, and should be handed over to the museum, or be released into the forest," suggests Guru.
However, the Nairobi Anglican Bishop, Peter Njoka, praises the Kisumu archdeacon for advising Christians that it was wrong to venerate a snake, saying it should be treated as an enemy of man.
He urges Christians to stop revering the snake as it was contrary to biblical teachings: "They should not engage in this at all, it is clear that the serpent misled man to rebel against God, and so Christians should view it as an enemy of man."
And the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) also adds its voice to the raging argument by warning the church against any move to kill the python.
KWS information officer, Caren Ndiema, says it would be against laws of conservation to burn the snake, and that the wildlife conservation body will take stern action against anybody who does that.
"KWS, as a custodian of wildlife, has nothing to do with the positions being espoused by the Church and traditionalists but in the well-being of the serpent," says Ndiema.
The giant serpent resurfaced in the tiny village of Nyando, near the shores of Lake Victoria, late January. Its appearance threw residents into excitement and confusion, as a makeshift home was hurriedly set-up.
Overwhelmed, the villagers made snappy efforts to feed it with whatever they could afford, including soda, cooked beans, ugali (maize meal) and mandazi (doughnuts).
The situation has since stabilised with more volunteers hunting for suitable delicacies for the serpent, such as frogs, rats, bats and rabbits. Lots of drinking water is also availed to Omieri.
While the Nairobi Diocese of the Anglican Church is in agreement with Archdeacon Owuor that the python should not be worshipped, it differs with him over the killing threat.
Bishop Njoka instead calls on KWS to transfer the snake to the National Museum in the capital city, Nairobi. "Since this is a world renowned snake, it should be preserved in the Snake Park for those who want to view it and also generate money from tourists," he says.
However, locals have bitterly opposed similar proposals. The move, they argue, is tantamount to robbing them of good luck.
The last time an Omieri was confined in Nairobi for treatment at the National Museum of Kenya after suffering fire burns, it met death due to what wildlife specialists said was added fright occasioned by public display and camera flashlights. This was years ago.
Area Member of Parliament, Mr Peter Odoyo, is optimistic that his constituents can now look forward to a "very bright near future".
Environment and Natural Resources Minister, Dr Newton Kulundu affirms that his ministry will indeed help the locals to enjoy their God-given windfall.
Kulundu, has already expressed the Government's commitment to allow the python to remain in its current habitat at the village, to avoid any conflict of interest among the local community.
There are those who have simply been awed by the presence of such a gigantic reptile in the village. Others have seen the snake as a blessing of some sort.
The good luck, according to locals, may involve end of a dry season, improved harvests and even progressive developments for the community's political leaders at the national platform.
East Africa's Luo community is not the only tribal grouping in the world that places special attachment to a wildlife creature. In many other African communities, the snake is held as a powerful symbol of religion.
The Ancient Aztecs of Central America worshipped the serpent, recognising it as the "master of life."
The Aborigines of Australia associate the giant rainbow serpent with creation of life, while in India, the cobra is seen as a reincarnation of important people.
"Snakes, like other earthly creations, are bona fide creatures of the universe and a very important web of biodiversity, only that some people choose to perpetuate evil through them," argues Dr Belinda Welime, an environmental scientist.
Welime further says that not all snakes are poisonous. Just about 10 percent of all the world's species are venomous. The remaining 90 percent are harmless.
Yet people jump up in fright and instinctively strike them on sight, even before finding out whether they are dangerous or not.
Pleas Welime: "Since snakes are protected by law as important members of our native wildlife and as valuable natural resources, I hope the government will act quickly to protect Omieri before it faces extinction."
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