This archive report was first published on 8 November 2019.
Located about a kilometre from Mikinduri Town, the Rwerea Njuri Ncheke Shrine is a thick grove of indigenous trees and shrubs that evokes awe and fear among the Ameru.
As the superior shrine to other Ameru shrines, Rwerea is the apex court and origin of the Ameru governance system, where disputes or matters that have proved difficult for the smaller councils of elders are settled.
Believed to be the site where Kaura O Becau, the founder of Njuri Ncheke, camped immediately the Ameru settled in their present-day location, Rwerea is the heart of the community's traditional laws.
According to Mr Kamanja M'Akwalu, the chairman of Kieiga shrine, 'Rwerea is the mother of Njuri Ncheke shrines. It was the State House of Kaura O Becau and is the shrine of last resort. When a dispute reached Rwerea, it was a matter of life and death.'
Mr M'Akwalu added that when the Ameru came from Mbwaa, a mysterious island, Kaura O Becau settled in Kiguma, Tigania Central, and started holding meetings at Rwerea.
Mr Jeremiah Kanampiu, a researcher of Ameru history, notes that Rwerea is where the finest Njuri Ncheke elders are initiated since it housed a special staff during the Ameru migration.
Published on November 8, 2019.
