Return of ‘sacred’ python causes stir

The return of Omieri, the ‘sacred’ python that was revered by traditionalists in Luo Nyanza, caused a stir in Kisumu yesterday.

The preserved remains of the 5.3 metre python was the main attraction on the first day of the Kenya National Commission for Unesco cultural celebrations at Jomo Kenyatta Sports Grounds.

Curious residents jammed the grounds to see the python, which has been on display at the National Museum in Nairobi since its death in a bush fire in Nyakach 31 years ago. 

Nyakach elders held a special traditional ceremony to cleanse Omieri and apologise for the fire that led to her death.

Baptised ‘Nyar Nyakach’ (woman from Nyakach), the elders admitted that their negligence was to blame for the fire that killed Omieri.

Dressed in traditional regalia, the elders walked around the giant snake 10 times, chanting battle cries and admonishing the evil spirits that they blamed for the python’s death.

They said the return of the python was a boon to the community that depended on her for protection.

“Since her death, we have faced untold suffering, ranging from defeats in battles with our neighbours, famine and poverty. But since the discussion of her return, we have seen a lot of improvement in the lives of the people of Nyakach,” said one elder, Ogongo Yano.

The elders pledged to cleanse a site in lower Nyakach where Omieri suffered the wounds that killed her.

The python’s preserved body arrived in Kisumu on Monday evening in a glass cage, ahead of the three-day cultural event.

News of its arrival spread fast, with residents of Nyakach, regarded as the home of Omieri, arriving to welcome back the python.

Omieri was rescued from a bush fire near River Miriu in 1987.

Carefully preserved

According to the director of antiquity sites and monuments at the National Museums of Kenya, Purity Kiura, Omieri would stay at the Kisumu museum for another six weeks.

The museum official hinted that the python might be taken to Nyakach for a brief exhibition.

“We are in negotiations with the Kisumu County administration to give residents more time to see and reconnect with Omieri, and that is why she will stay behind after the event,” said Ms Kiura.

Yesterday, Kiura watched as a special grass-thatched and mud-walled structure was set up at Jomo Kenyatta Grounds, where the snake will stay for the duration of the cultural fete.

Preserving the body of the snake, which weighed 58 kilogrammes when it died, is not easy.

“Caring for this snake requires special conditions. It does not require a lot of light or heat. It also has to be disinfected often and not left in the open. That is why we must have a special casing,” said Kiura.

Omieri’s visit marks an important step in her journey back home, with the museum officials confirming that there are negotiations to have the python permanently preserved at the Kisumu Museum.

“We are training Kisumu museum staff on advanced skills to care for Omieri before it can be brought here, as proposed by the area leadership. I can’t however estimate the time it will take to permanently move her here,” said Kiura.

She said the Government had identified an elder from Nyakach to tell the story of the python during the exhibition, even as officials of the Museums supplement the planned narrative with documented facts.

The three-day Unesco-sponsored cultural event is held every two years. Kisumu becomes the third county to host the event after Nairobi (2014) and Machakos (2016).

The event provides a platform for cultural and heritage exhibition. Some exhibitions will represent the country in Paris, France, during the International Unesco week later in the year.

National event

According to the National Museums of Kenya, this is the first time the python is being exhibited to the public in the annual fete. They said residents had petitioned for the exhibition.

“This will quench the thirst of Nyanza residents, who have for three decades longed to get a feel of the snake they once revered,” said Kiura.