Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests

The Kaya forests are a collection of roughly 50 separate wooded areas scattered across the coastal region. Each forest consists of dense woodland with clearings where ritual sites and gathering places for local communities are located.

These forests were established between the 17th and 18th centuries when the Mijikenda people relocated and built fortified settlements within them. The woodlands gradually transformed from defensive refuges into important spiritual centers for their communities.

The forests remain active places where the nine Mijikenda communities conduct rituals and maintain their spiritual traditions today. Walking through them, you notice signs of ongoing practice like ritual arrangements and plants used in ceremonies.

Visitors must enter these forests with a local guide, as they are active spiritual places that require respect and specific protocols. Wearing modest clothing and following guidance is essential to preserve the spiritual nature of the sites.

These forests function as living archives of plants and animals that have disappeared elsewhere, including rare bird and butterfly species. Their isolated locations inadvertently became natural conservation areas that preserved an original coastal ecosystem.