Hundreds of people are flocking to Emenwa village in Nyamache, Kisii County, after reports emerged of an image believed to be that of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, appearing on the wall of a mud-walled kitchen.
Mzee Charles Onsombi’s once-quiet homestead has turned into a pilgrimage site, forcing the family to seek reinforcement from police officers to manage the large crowd.
Young and old, they travelled from different parts of the country to a small village in Nyamache, Kisii County, Emenwa village. The centre of attraction.
A small, soot-blackened kitchen, the kind you find in every Gusii homestead. This one, however, according to area residents, is no longer ordinary.
This comes after reports emerged of an image, believed to be that of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, appearing on the wall.
"It was around here... that's where they say they saw whatever they saw. I don't know,” Mzee Charles Onsombi explains.
Uninvited and unexpected, they came, eager to witness what they describe as a divine opportunity of a lifetime.
"People have come from Homa Bay without seeing it, people have come from Sirare without seeing it, people have come from South Mugirango in Osoro's area without seeing it. We want the government to organize the crowd so that everyone can see it, and when they return home, they can share the message of what they saw here in Nyamache,” a resident of Emenwa told Citizen TV.
Mzee Onsombi explains that there was nothing holy or unusual about his kitchen until last week.
"It was my wife who saw something, and on scrutiny, maybe by mistake or she might have seen something like that, kwa akili yake akafikiria ni Maria,” he says.
But has anyone truly seen Mary, mother of Jesus?
"Siku ya Jumatatu saa moja asubuhi mimi nilikuja kwa hiyo boma na nikachukua picha, so niliona hiyo picha na nikaamini kwamba ni yeye,” says a witness.
"Hata tulikuja jioni Ijumaa tukamuona wakati walikuwa wanaabudu, akasema 'mimi niko hapa', tulimuona kwa macho yako,” another says.
The family was overwhelmed by the stampede of faithful, forcing the police to step in to protect this once-quiet territory.
"It has been quite hectic. I have not been able to take a shower or eat, running up and down trying to turn people away because there is nothing, but they can't understand. I just requested the police personnel to assist me,” Onsombi told Citizen TV.
It was a move that met resistance from a section of the crowd.
"Sasa serikali wanatuzuia tusioni Mungu. Huyu ni mama ya Yesu amekuja hapa kwa hii boma, kwa nini hawataki tuone?” paused a resident.
But here is the twist in this tale of faith: Mzee Onsombi claims that what you see online is an image altered using artificial intelligence, sharpened to attract larger crowds.
"When people started coming, taking photos and whatever... but what I can see on the internet is not what is here,” he says.
As the debate between faith, perception, and artificial intelligence continues, the small mud-walled kitchen in Emenwa remains the unlikely centre of a growing spectacle, with visitors still arriving.
