Governor Wycliffe Oparanya on Tuesday caused laughter after he disclosed why the sacred Crying Stone of Elesi in Kakamega County was no longer 'weeping'.
Speaking when he welcomed delegates to the ongoing 5th Devolution Conference hosted in his area, Oparanya said the historic Crying Stone had stopped 'crying' after the Kakamega county goverment ordered it to do so.
The county boss, however, noted that the landmark monument would 'cry' if visitors spend some time at the site.
"Kakamega county is home to the Crying Stone which has been crying for years but we told it to stop crying. But if you visit, it will cry after five minutes," Oparanya said, leaving the audience in stitches.
The 40 metres long mystic stone resembles a solemn head falling on weary shoulders. From its top, ‘tears’ flow down the length of the column.
People in Western Kenya believes that when the stone cries it is sign that good things are about to happen.
However, during the rainy season stops to weep and only resumes to drop tears during the dry season.
The Crying Stone of Ilesi, which is a major tourist attraction site, is held dear and is of great cultural and spiritual importance to the Luhya community.