No ritual cleansing at Brian Chira’s grave or home, family responds – EXCLUSIVE
Reports circulating online that Kikuyu elders performed purification rituals at the home of the late TikToker Brian Chira are false, according to his family.
The family member, who requested anonymity, refuted the claims, saying no such activities took place at their home.
He addressed the misinformation, insisting that although he had seen the stories online, they were completely untrue.
“There was nothing like that. No one came to our home for cleansing. I have seen the stories online but they are not true,” the family member told Nairobi News.
An undated video shared on TikTok also showed a group of Kikuyu elders praying for divine forgiveness.
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Their prayers included concerns such as LGBTQ issues among youth and the prevalence of illicit alcohol consumption in Kikuyu territory.
One elder spoke out against same-sex marriage in the community and expressed remorse for deviating from traditional values.
The elders were dressed in traditional Kikuyu attire and waved placards during the event.
One of the elders said: ‘We have come here to Jamaica to condemn the wrongs that have been done. We have witnessed instances of men marrying other men in our community and we strongly condemn such occurrences from ever happening again”.
“Our revered elders have strongly condemned such behaviour and we therefore acknowledge our mistakes. We humbly ask for forgiveness for our sons and daughters,” the elder is heard saying.
Chira, the popular TikToker was laid to rest on March 26, on his grandmother’s ancestral land in Gitei village, Gathanje, Kiambu County.
The burial ceremony drew a crowd of prominent figures from the content creator community, known as the ‘Chira Clan’, and left the villagers in awe.
They had never seen such a large and unruly crowd of young people. Chira’s friends and fans even showed little respect for the village elders.
Normally, Chira, 23, would have been buried by his immediate family, schoolmates and a few neighbours.
However, this was not the case, as even religious leaders were denied the opportunity to lead the service at the gravesite.
Disorder broke out as hundreds of TikTokers gathered around the grave, some of them drunk and disorderly.
Villagers and even family members stood back, allowing them to bury their friend without fully understanding what was happening.
Villagers who spoke to Nairobi News said: “We didn’t like the way they dressed, smoked and drank alcohol in front of us. They didn’t even respect the clergy. They disrespected our Kikuyu traditions and we’ve never seen that before. They urinated everywhere. That’s not the way we were brought up.”
Adding, “We’re worried about their future and how they will bring up their own children. It was a struggle even for the church to get access to the grave site. They don’t seem to know what they’re doing. We are calling on our village to hold a cleansing ceremony to remove any negative spirits left behind.”
Chira’s burial was attended by politicians including Mumias East MP Peter Salasya, musicians Otile Brown, Justina Syokau, TikTokers: Baba Talisha, Tizian Savage, Prince Mwiti, Manzi wa Mombasa, Lupita Nyakisum, Jude Magambo, Hanna Benta and others.
He died in a hit-and-run accident in Karuri area, Kiambu County.