In Sabatia, Vihiga County, there lies a stone which locals believe Jesus Christ stepped on during his sojourn on earth.
Known as Gevera, it is located off the Mbale-Gisambai and Mudete-Kivagala roads in Itenji Village.
It bears footprint marks believed to be those of Jesus Christ and imprints of a machete and a padlock.
Also on it are marks of numbers 2, 5, 14 and 17 that locals say have a biblical significance as they “were left behind by Jesus and his disciples”.
Besides the stone sits a coffin-like structure which is unattached.
According to villagers, the machete imprint is the weapon Apostle Peter used to cut the ear of a soldier who tried to arrest Jesus while the digits have a symbolic meaning contained in the book of Revelations in the Bible.
Mr Kennedy Kevoga, a resident, says preachers have informed people about the imprints and the marks.
He says many people and religious groupings have been to the place with information about the rock remaining stuff of legend.
‘Coffin’
The “coffin”, he claims, cannot be lifted nor moved yet it is not attached to the stone.
Now Vihiga Senator George Khaniri says the government has abandoned the national and cultural heritage sites, leaving them to choke under modernity, something he believes is slowly killing Kenya’s attractive diversity.
Through a statement he made in the Senate, Senator Khaniri said the abandoned heritage was key to preserving different cultures, attracting tourists and generating revenue.
While enumerating some of the cultural heritage sites that could soon get extinct if not addressed, Mr Khaniri said the cultural heritage sites need attention as they are “our identity”.
The sites, he said, range from forests, hills, monuments and caves, noting that they are being destroyed to pave way for modern infrastructure.
“The (Gevera) site should be accorded more importance than is currently the case,” Senator Khaniri said of the stone where locals believe visitors receive blessings and miracles after making prayers at the site.
“Away from Vihiga County, in coastal Kenya, many such sites lie in ruins while others are not given the importance or hype they deserve,” said Mr Khaniri.
He went on: “Fort Jesus, which used to be a must-visit site, now generates very little income. The same as the Vasco-da-Gama pillar.”
“We only give importance to the Maasai Mara and Tsavo forgetting that the two do not form even a quarter of what the Kenyan culture and natural resources have to offer to the world,” he said.
The politician called on the government to start by identifying all the heritage sites for easy access and development.