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Talk of Maasai elders’ ritual and curse after Tom Cholmondeley’s death


Details have emerged of how Maasai elders recently conducted a ritual at the graveside of the late Mr Samson ole Sisina cursing his killers, after attempts to reopen an inquiry into his death hit a snag.

Mr Tom Cholmondeley was charged in connection to the death of Mr Sisina, a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) ranger, after a shooting incident in April 2005 at the Soysambu ranch in Naivasha.

In court, Mr Cholmondeley had admitted shooting Mr Sisina in self-defence.

Then Attorney-General Amos Wako later dropped the manslaughter charge.

Tom Cholmondeley (centre) at the Nairobi High Court. PHOTO | FILE
Tom Cholmondeley (centre) at the Nairobi High Court. PHOTO | FILE

Speaking to Nairobi News on Thursday, the family’s spokesman claimed the rituals were so strong and should not be taken lightly.

He claimed the results have already started manifesting.

CONFIRMATION OF RITUALS

“It was a serious thing and it was conducted by very elderly Maasais. So when the elders heard the news yesterday, they knew it was a confirmation that the rituals still work,” said Mr Torome, their spokesman, in an interview with Nairobi News on Thursday.

“The curse will follow the kin even after the death of the killer. They must go back to Sisina’s family,” he said.

Mr Torome said the family and the community got frustrated that justice was not served in the matter, hence resorted to the Maasai rituals.

“We felt justice had not been served and money was used to influence and kill the case and so we said, fine, the elders know how to conduct rituals,” he said.

Mrs Lucy Sisina at her homestead. PHOTO | GEORGE SAYAGIE
Mrs Lucy Sisina at her homestead. PHOTO | GEORGE SAYAGIE

Mr Sisina’s widow appeared to concur, at a separate interview at the family home in Olemutel village home in Mosiro ward, Narok East.

“This might not end very soon, as far as the blood of my husband is not paid for,” she said.

TEARS HAUNTING THEM

“According to the Maa culture there are more misfortunes on the way. My children are living in abject poverty, they have stopped going to school, and their tears will continue haunting them,” Mrs Sisina, a mother of eight children said when we paid her a visit.

Mrs Lucy Sisina- widow to Mr Sisina who died at 44 years and his first born son- 23-year-old John Esho who is a second year student at the Maasai Mara University said on Thursday that they are consulting with their lawyer Kitwa Kigen with an intention to obtaining a court injunction to stop the burial until the Delamere family compensates the family on the death of their kin.

The two and other close family members said they will not allow the late billionaire to be buried until his family assures them of compensation.

“We want to meet the parents of Mr Cholmondeley, and since it’s hard to meet them we will stop the burial of their son and compel them to meet us,” said Ms Sisina.

OUT OF COURT

It has emerged that the family had made an earlier attempt with the Delamere family to settle the matter of out of court – the Maasai way.

This would have seen the Delamere family pay the family some 49 cows, pledge to educate all his children to university level, hive off 27 acres of the Delamere’s expansive ranch to the family and finance all projects that the late Sisina was undertaking which had stalled.

It never went through.

Tom Cholmondeley's parents after leaving the courtroom in Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE
Tom Cholmondeley’s parents after leaving the courtroom in Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE

The family now claims that unless their demands are met, the Delamere family will be facing calamity upon another as the curses proclaimed three weeks ago will continue manifesting.

From the time of his death, the late Sisina’s widow says she has sold 200 sheep and 40 cows to finance the court cases and pay for legal fees to different lawyers and this has drained the family financially.

“I have two children who are yet to join university after they passed their Form Four Exams in 2014,” she said.

PURSUE JUSTICE

Mr Esho, who was 12 years old then, and village elders led by Kazaroho Torome said they will pursue justice to the grave of Mr Cholmondeley, buried or not.

The second year Maasai Mara university student said the family had gone through many problems since they lost their father.

“I will move to court to stop his burial and compel the government revisit the matter for justice to be realised and we must be compensated for the death of our father who was the sole bread winner,” he said at their home yesterday.

This is not the first time the family is trying to appeal the case.

On Thursday, Mr Sisina’s elderly mother Ms Lucy Parsimei said she had used up all the family resources and sold all her livestock for the case.

“I was very, very angry because once again we never got justice. The Delamere family had tried to settle the matter out of court through our lawyers but they too started taking us round in circles,” she said.