In the fertile hills of Bobasi Constituency, Kisii County, a small mud-walled house that for years has been known mainly for the smoke and aroma of ugali has suddenly become an unlikely pilgrimage site.
It is here, in Getare Village, Emenwa Sub-Location, that Mary Onsombi, a peasant farmer and devout Catholic, says she discovered an image she believes resembles the Virgin Mary on the soot-blackened wall of her kitchen.
What began as a faint shadow last Friday had by Sunday attracted thousands of curious villagers, boda boda riders, schoolchildren and preachers from across the denominational divide, all streaming into the homestead to catch a glimpse of what they call “the Virgin Mary”.
According to villagers, Ms Onsombi abandoned whatever she was doing after noticing the unusual image and rushed to inform her neighbours.
An image resembling the Biblical Virgin Mary which allegedly appeared on a kitchen wall in a Kisii village.
Photo credit: Pool
“She told us that she was sitting by her fireplace where she always cooks when she saw something resembling a shadow. She thought it was smoke. She took a piece of cloth and tried to wipe it off. The more she wiped, the bolder it became. She said the image looked exactly like ‘Bikira Maria’ in their church,” said neighbour Gladys Nyandika.
Her kitchen is nothing extraordinary: mud walls darkened by years of firewood smoke, a three-stone fireplace in one corner and a few sufurias hanging from nails.
But on the northern wall, about three feet from the floor and close to where she kneels to cook, is a whitish-grey formation measuring about 18 inches in height.
To a believer, its outline resembles a woman draped in a long veil with her hands clasped in prayer. To a sceptic, it could simply be a pattern created by years of soot, water seepage and peeling mud.
The tiny kitchen has since become a place of prayer with Catholic nuns and faithful squeezing inside rosaries in hand, to pray silently before the image.
“Whether you are Catholic or not, if God decides to show Himself, you must come and see,” said a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) adherent who travelled from Nyamakoroto village in Nyamira County.
Ms Onsombi and her husband have however, not spoken to the media about the incident, even as word of the alleged apparition has spread like wildfire and gone viral on social media.
Masige East Member of County Assembly (MCA) Michael Motume was among the first local leaders to visit the homestead curious to see the image.
“I arrived at Mzee Onsombi’s home to see the picture of ‘Jesus’ Mother’. I discovered an unusual image on the wall that resembles the famous Catholic Mary statue. Mzee Onsombi’s wife tried to smear it out, but the image became bolder. Whether this is a miracle or not, I have no authority nor powers to authenticate,” Mr Motume wrote on social media.
That disclaimer did little to dampen the excitement. By Sunday morning, the footpath leading to the Onsombi homestead had been transformed into a busy thoroughfare.
Some visitors knelt before the image and prayed. Others took photographs and videos for TikTok. Boda boda operators, meanwhile, were making brisk business charging Sh100 per trip from Emenwa Centre to Getare.
According to residents, the nuns said little but were seen taking notes and photographs, presumably for onward reporting to the leadership of the Catholic Diocese of Kisii.
A crowd throngs a home in Bassi Central Ward, Kisii County, to catch a glimpse of an image resembling the Biblical Virgin Mary which allegedly appeared on a kitchen wall.
Photo credit: Pool
Catholics use images and statues of Mary, the mother of Jesus according to the Bible, for veneration and spiritual reflection rather than as idols or objects of worship.
The unusual incident has nevertheless sparked a theological debate on social media with some questioning the nature of the image and others debating the historical existence of the Virgin Mary.
The Catholic Church in Kisii has not issued a statement or commented publicly on the alleged miracle.
Historically, investigations into alleged Marian apparitions can take years. Locally, priests would be expected to visit the site, interview the family and assess whether the incident is leading to genuine spiritual reflection or merely fuelling public excitement.
“The Church is always cautious. We have had many such reports in Kenya, images on trees and rocks. Most turn out to be natural phenomena. But we cannot dismiss the faith of the people,” said a catechist who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on behalf of the Church.
Meanwhile, the local administration is becoming increasingly concerned about the growing crowds with fears of a stampede or the spread of disease as visitors squeeze into the tiny kitchen.
For now, the Onsombis are overwhelmed and their small house can barely accommodate the crowds that continue to make the journey to their homestead.
