A man who planted the LGBTQ rainbow flag on Mt. Kenya, which now has since been brought down, has vowed to repeat the act as a sign of defiance.
While speaking on Twitter, @juelz_loverl, who, alongside his friend, a man only identified as Alex, planted the original flag back in 2019, said that he would repeat the act this same year, terming the act of pulling it down as ‘nonsense’.
“In 2019 we (Alex and I) put the (LGBTQ) flag up on Mt. Kenya. All this nonsense of it being taken down, I’ve decided 2023 I am going back up Mt. Kenya to put up the flag!” he tweeted.
Over the weekend, a group of Kikuyu traditionalists destroyed the flag alleged to represent the LGBTQ community.
The group, under the banner of Booi wa Kirira Kia Mugikuyu, loosely translated to ‘the gathering for Kikuyu culture’, had in the last one month been raising funds for them to scale the mountain and remove the flag.
A team of about ten climbers went up the mountain on Friday, April 7, and came back on Sunday, April 9, with the alleged flag that was set on fire at Naromoru, Kieni East Sub-county, Nyeri County.
The event was followed up by cleansing rites by Kikuyu elders.
They said that ashes from the burnt flag would be thrown into the river that flows to the Indian Ocean.
According to Kikuyu culture, Mt Kenya is the abode of Mwenenyaga, their deity. Kikuyu traditionalists pray facing the mountain.
“It is an affront to Gikuyu spirituality, for members of this community to desecrate our Supreme Altar by raising their flag on Kīrīnyaga (Mt Kenya),” said Kimani Charagu, a founding member of Booi wa Kirira.
A section of Twitter sharply disagreed with the plans to reintroduce the flag on the mountain’s peak, with one Twitter user saying,” Mt. Kenya is for all of us. Msituwekee those things please. Let it remain a neutral mountain free of any shenanigans.”
In response to that, Juelz said, “You’re right! It’s for all of us. Bring your flag then!”
Another user, @john_curry said, “I can promise you. That flag won’t even be there in less than 2 hrs. Stop forcing issues to us. Mt. Kenya is a holy mountain according to our culture!”
