Meet the woman who hosted the legendary snake Omieri for 163 days

On February 17, 2002, a young woman was going about her household chores at Wasare village in Nyakach, Kisumu County, when her daughter came running towards her panting like a gazelle that had escaped from the paws of a lioness.

"Mama, Mama, there is a huge snake at the gate,” the daughter, Nancy Achieng, delivered the shocking news.

Benter Atieno Ochieng quickly ran towards the direction that her daughter was pointing at to witness the unbelievable news. When she arrived, Ms Ochieng found the gigantic reptile brooding over her eggs.

At that moment, Ms Ochieng could not comprehend the full impact of that message delivered at around 1pm. Little did she know that it would later change not only her name, life and that of the Wasare clan, but it would also remain etched in the cultural folklore of the Luo community.

It turned out that the serpent at her gate was the legendary snake known in the Luo community as Omieri.

Read: Fabled python Omieri back in limelight with exhibition

"My grandmother used to tell me a lot about Omieri. I was also told about how it should be treated. When she became my guest, I knew exactly what I was required to do," said Ms Ochieng.

She set up a shed for the python a few meters away from the main house.

At first, Ms Ochieng did not know what to feed her special guest but later realised that it could eat fish and chicken. She claims that the reptile had the ability to tell if the food it was served was given out of a pure heart or not.

“Omieri was a heavy feeder and could drink up to 40 liters of water every day," said Ms Ochieng.

Her home soon turned into a mini-snake park, going by the huge number of curious people who came to see Omieri. Residents later learnt that Omieri was 28 years old, 16 feet long and weighed 58 kilogrammes.

 “It reached a point where I had to charge those who wanted to see it it a small fee. Children were paying Sh2 while adults parted with Sh5," recalled Ms Ochieng.

Her decision to host the snake earned her the nickname “Mama Omieri”.

Read: Giant snake sets village abuzz

But all was not smooth. Ms Ochieng said that at some point, she got so overwhelmed and locked herself up inside her house to keep away from the endless sea of humanity that gathered at her home.

When the Kenya Wildlife Service (KSW) caught wind of the happenings, it came knocking.

Omieri hatched 77 snakelets, but two died. Ms Ochieng used to feed the serpent with rats, fish, and chicken provided by the KWS.

Ms Ochieng recalled that every day at 10am, Omieri and her young ones would bask in the sun.

Read: Face-to face-with Omieri

Some people lauded her efforts of hosting the python, while others wanted to kill. They accused her of practising witchcraft.

Ms Ochieng said during the 163 days that she stayed with the gigantic snake, she was able to learn a number of things about it.

"When you gave Omieri food but had second thoughts about it, she would easily detect and reject it," said Ms Ochieng.

She was trained for a month at Kisumu on how to handle such incidents.

Omieri left Wasare with her young ones on July 29, 2002, and was never to be seen again.

Prior to this, another python also known as Omieri had visited Wasare village in 1987 but escaped into the nearby bushes. Residents said that it may have become agitated by huge number of people who gathered to view it.

A group of students from a local school set the bushes on fire in a bid to smoke out the python. Unfortunately, the fierce fire partly burnt the serpent because it was unable to flee for safety.

Read: Sacred hill that gives inspiration to the Luo people

By the time the KWS personnel arrived at the scene, the python had sustained serious injuries and was taken to the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi for treatment.

But it developed a septic infection in the mouth that adversely affected its feeding. Omieri died on July 9, 1987 at the Nairobi Snake Park.

An autopsy done on it revealed that it succumbed to a gastro-intestinal tract blockage from a ring of roundworms. Internal injuries caused by third degree burns from the fire and a rotting mouth may have also contributed to its death.

Residents of Nyakach living in Nairobi are said to have declared three days of mourning, while those who were upcountry set up a funeral fund for Omieri's burial.

Some demanded that Omieri's body be released to them by the National Museums of Kenya, but their wish was denied.

Mr Ogongo Yano, a paramount elder of the Nyakach Luo Council of Elders, said that the historical background of Omieri is complicated.

Mr Yano, and the Luo community believes that Omieri was a daughter of Nyakach from Wasare — one of the 11 clans of Nyakach.

Folklore has it that she got married in Kodera, Karachuonyo, Homa Bay County but she never settled in her marriage.

“Omieri did not bear a child for the husband, causing her in-laws to despise her. When the husband died and left her as a young widow, the cruel villagers hated her even more. They dispossessed her of all the property that her husband had left her with, demolished her house and ejected her from the homestead,” said Mr Yano.

“In the early days of her eviction, she could be seen in her reptilian form basking in the sun on top of the rubble of the demolished house. Later, she vanished towards Lake Victoria, but every time she missed her family and relatives, she showed up in Wasare to visit them.”

These visits date back to the 1950s when the mysterious snake was first spotted. She would appear either in someone’s homestead, bushes or near water bodies such as rivers.

Mr Yano told the Nation that the first appearance was in someone’s home where she was with a male companion.

“She would then visit again in 1953, in 1956 she was spotted in Ragen Primary School, in 1963 on the banks of River Bugo, while in 1982, 1985 and 1987 she was found in various homes,” said Mr Yano.

However, Omieri’s appearance that caught the attention of the country and the globe was that of the year 2002 at Ms Ochieng's home.

Mr Yano said that anytime the legendary Omieri revisits her home in Nyakach, residents get to reap some benefits.

“This, however, depends on how she is treated. It is believed that whoever does not welcome Omieri and mistreats her is visited by a chain of misfortunes," explains Mr Yano.      

The community believes that Omieri’s presence bears some mystical powers that carry good tidings including heavy rainfall, a bumper harvest, good luck and tourism.

But on the flip side, her anger, provoked by mistreatment, would result in mysterious deaths and famine.

"Whenever Omieri visits, there are usually a lot of fish in the rivers and lakes and we get bumper harvests. Our animals also deliver calves and produce milk and ghee in large quantities. During that period, we usually see young people getting married in droves,” said Mr Yano.

He added that diseases and pandemics do not have a place in the community when Omieri is visiting.

The elders are now pushing for the establishment of a snake park at Wasare where Omieri and other snake species can be put up for exhibition and research purposes.

The legendary Omieri was part of the exhibition during the recent Grand Fish Fiesta 2024 Festival held in Kisumu County on April 25- 27.

The three-day extravaganza celebrated the city's rich heritage, particularly centered on Lake Victoria which is a significant resource.

The festival's aim was to not only celebrate Lake Victoria and the fish value chain, but also to promote sustainable tourism, economic empowerment and cultural exchange within the community and beyond.

Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Tourism Farida Salim said the fish village exhibition stood as a testament to the rich diversity of aquatic life in Lake Victoria and the ingenuity of the fisher folk.

There was cultural entertainment, adrenaline-pumping traditional boat races, crowning of Mr and Miss Tourism, Mr and Miss Flex and Mr and Miss Strong as well as celebrating the beauty, talent and resilience of the youth during the festival.

There was also a breathtaking display of fireworks illuminating the sky, symbolising the spirit of hope and unity.