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From: average joe	7/26/2007 10:08:07 AM
	of 5290

Kenya: Mystery Rocks That Beg More Questions Than Answers The Nation (Nairobi) 24 July 2007 Posted to the web 24 July 2007 Benson Amadala Nairobi From a distance, the tiny rocky patch next to a beaten village path is deceptively ordinary. The foot-like imprints on a large rock near Matsigulu Village in Mbale/Vihiga District. A glance at it reveals a lacerated parched surface with gaping cracks and little else to offer. But behind this is a cryptic maze of indecipherable writings etched on the surface. The un-explained inscriptions make the defiant rock almost mythical. The foot-like imprints similar in size to those of human beings clearly showing from the surface advance the mystery. The marks have puzzled many and stirred the sleepy Matsigulu Village in Vihiga District into a frenzied curiosity and awe. Villagers and visitors from far and wide have been trooping to the place to gaze at the footmarks and baffling writings. And each visit has only served to raise more questions than answers about their origin. The village has played host to tourists from many parts of the world who have come to marvel at the legend of the imprints in the rock found on five-acre farm belonging to a retired police officer now farmer, Mzee Gerry Musera. Blessing in disguise Christians from different churches have turned the place into a worship centre. There is a hive of activity at the farm during Easter and Christmas holidays. Mzee Musera said they will build a church near the rock. Pastor Samson Mwangi of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God says drawings of a lock and key at the edge of the rock show that the place is sacred. "Sometimes people struck by misfortunes and those faced with problems just come here on their on to pray and find solace," explained pastor Mwangi. Mzee Musera also describes the rock on his farm as blessing in disguise. He said people visited the area to seek Gods intervention in case of disaster. "Whenever we have been hit by drought, elders and church officials come here for prayers? soon after our prayers are usually answered," he said. But it is the second coffin-shaped rock that adds spin to the mystery of the writings. The six-foot rock is securely perched on a smaller one and propped like a real coffin. Villagers in Matsigulu revere it because of the shape and believe anybody trying to tamper with it could be stretching his luck a bit too far. A year ago, they claim, a stone mason in the village was struck by an unexplained illness when he attempted to break the rock for construction. The mason is said to have been bedridden for six months with a swollen stomach and only recovered after religious leaders were called in to pray for him. Pastor Mwangi said the mason nearly died of the affliction, sounding a warning to other villagers. He said he had been warned in a dream not to smash the rock because it was somebody's tomb. "From that day nobody has tried to tamper with the rock lest they be hit by the unpleasant consequences," he warned. Mzee Musera says the numbers of visitors trooping to the village to see the strange writings have been swelling. Several people had camped near the rock but this has not helped villagers explain the origin of the writings. "Each time we see the tourist and other people come here to look at the rock and take pictures, we have been hoping that one day they will come back and resolve the mystery of these writings," said Mzee Musera. Villagers have given countless interviews to the visitors on what they could remember in order to resolve the inscriptions mystery. A bumpy footpath snakes it way through the quiet but lush neighbourhood in Gavere, South Maragoli location leading to the enigmatic rock that has spellbound villagers for years. Village stream The place has an aura of a shrine shrouded in thickets and trees capped by the lapping sound of water flowing down a village stream. A tangled myth has been fashioned to explain the meaning of the writings. Villagers compare the place with wilderness in which Jesus Christ went on retreat for 40 days. "These marks are a clear manifestation that at one point a great miracle must have taken place here," said Mzee Musera. The former leader of the Dini ya Musambwa religious sect Elijah Masinde and his followers are reported to have visited the place in the early 60s and camped there for prayers. Till today, the two rocks stand defiantly and share a mystery that has confounded Matsigulu villagers and left them begging for answers. allafrica.com

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