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ued at USD 0.27 million (Sh29 million).
from WATER WORLD
Bamboo now a cash crop
If next year all of us can turn up in large numbers to plant the crop in one single day, the target of 10 per cent forest cover will be attained.
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- PS Kiptoo.
By Sammy Munoko
Bamboo has now been declared a cash crop in Kenya and the rush is on for farmers seeking to reap its huge profits.
From West Pokot in the North to Homa Bay in Nyanza, Kajiado in the South to Kilifi at the Coast, bamboo farming is fast becoming the new norm.
President Uhuru Kenyatta recently assented to the Bill which made the tree, previously classified as grass, into a cash crop.
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Forestry Keriako Tobiko has also said controversy and debate on whether bamboo is a grass or a tree has now ended.
He clarified that following the approval by the President in September, now bamboo has been classified as the 16th cash crop in Kenya.
Many countries like the USA, China, South Africa, Australia and India, Indonesia, Pakistan and other Asian countries have a very advanced bamboo farming industry.
In India for example, yields remain steady all the year round with prices around Sh4,500 per tonne and farmers there say the crop is more profitable than rice and sugarcane.
Whereas Bamboo farming has been going on many for decades, Kenya appears to have been in a deep slumber despite its enormous resources of bamboo.
It is only last year when the Cabinet approved the National Bamboo Policy after it dawned on policy makers that most of the furniture imported into the country was made from bamboo.
Tobiko has now asked the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) to supply bamboo seedlings in large quantities. Bamboo nurseries are to be established in various regions in Kenya to ease access by individuals and organisations.
“Kenya Forest Service and KEFRI should assist in registration and vetting of bamboo nurseries in order to have records of the nursery investors,” said Tobiko.
He further called on private investors to partner with farmers through training and planting of the
Environment and Forestry CS Keriako Tobiko (centre) flanked by Bamboo Association chairman Victor Mwanga (right, with watering can) and Julius Malombe, Water Towers Agency Chairman planting a tree to mark the World Bamboo Day on September 18th, 2020 at Michuki Park in Nairobi. Photo/Sammy Munoko
crop.
“We must venture into massive small scale bamboo planting,” he added.
The policy paper developed last year that was approved by the Cabinet said Bamboo has proven its potential to contribute to achieving Kenya ‘Vision 2030 and the Big Four agenda.
Specifically, bamboo can directly contribute to “economic and social pillars” and flagship programmes with focus on, small and medium scale enterprise development to promote manufacturing, the document said.
It pointed out that the crop is good for rehabilitation of degraded land and landscapes, ensuring equity, eradicating poverty and supporting provision of affordable ecologically friendly housing.
Bamboo is a versatile resource which has a potential to contribute to creation of jobs, poverty eradication, economic development and environment management.
Bamboo has been an integral part of indigenous forests in Kenya and the Oldeania alpina, commonly known as highland bamboo, is the only indigenous species that grows naturally between the altitudes of 2,200m and 3,400m above sea level.
There are over 10, 000 documented Bamboo products cutting across subsistence use products, timber substitutes, fibre and textile, plastic composites, food and beverage, energy, health and cosmetic industry products. Forests
In late 1980s, bamboo forests covered more than 300,000 hectares but that has reduced to about 100,000Ha.
Kenya has a total bamboo growing area of 133,273 hectares, concentrated in mountain ranges and forest areas managed by the national government.
Aberdare Range, Mau Forest, Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon and Cherangany Hills have 50,038 ha, 30,196 ha, 35,966 ha 14,341 and 8,180 hectares respectively.
Counties
Bamboo growing has since the 1980s caught up in many counties such as Migori, Vihiga, Busia, Homa Bay, Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kirinyaga, Kitui, Laikipia, Nyandarua, Embu and Tharaka Nithi.
In these counties, bamboo is grown as a crop on the farms though not on a large scale.
In Migori and Homa Bay, initiatives are being undertaken to promote growing of bamboo and value-addition as an alternative crop and livelihood strategy for tobacco smallholder farmers.
A fully-fledged nursery for producing Bamboo seedlings has been established in Rongo Sub-County in Migori County and the same is happening in other parts of the country.
By the year 2000, an estimated 25 million bamboo poles were harvested annually mainly from gazetted forests.
They were used for fencing, scaffolding, and construction of houses especially in rural areas.
Bamboo splits are used for producing tea picking baskets, farm and household baskets, while communities living around Mount Elgon eat bamboo shoots as a delicacy.
Bamboo poles, furniture, handicrafts and seedlings are the current top products from bamboo in the local market.
Kenya is a negligible player in bamboo trade whose imports and exports account for 0.06% and 0.02% respectively of the global trade.
Between 2009 and 2013, Kenya imported bamboo and rattan products worth USD 0.8 million (Sh86.8 million) and exported products valued at USD 0.27 million (Sh29.3 million).
The major products imported were bamboo flooring tiles, plywood and furniture.
Despite this low rate of trade in bamboo, there is a great potential for improving export trade and at the same time reducing import of bamboo products.
That will also enable the country to improve on balance of trade with other countries which are currently exporting bamboo products into Kenya.
The Bamboo Association chairman Victor Mwanga petitioned Parliament to classify bamboo as a cash crop and finally got full backing from the President who assented the Bill.
Speaking at Michuki Park in Nairobi while marking the World Bamboo Day under the theme “Sustaining Kenya the bamboo way, Tobiko said logistical issues must be addressed by stakeholders.
That is to ensure bamboo seedlings are cheaper and available all over Kenya because the crop can survive in all regions. “The bamboo policy will address the entire value chain of bamboo commercialization in the country,” he said.
Bamboo takes a minimum of three years to mature after being planted then shoots begin to emerge.
Many Kenyans are known to plant bamboos for ornamental value, home beauty and construction projects.
Environment Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo is optimistic that Kenya can be a net supplier of toothpicks if bamboo farming is scaled up.
Costs, benefits of bamboo farming
By Staff Reporter
Bamboo farming is popular in China and the US where it is grown for medicinal, ornamental purposes and feeding of panda.
In Kenya, bamboo farming is peaking with potential demand coming from construction companies, landscapers and even beer manufacturers
If you were to plant bamboo on a one-acre piece of land, you would need an estimate of Sh135,000.
A total of 200 bamboo seedlings at Sh200, which totals to Sh40,000, Sh25,000 for tilling land and labour, Sh10,000 for fungicides, Sh50,000 for transport and harvesting and Sh10,000 for other expenses.
How much can you expect in return?
Each bamboo plantlet produces multiple shoots during its lifetime. For example, a young plant may produce three shoots within two months.
Next season, those three shoots plus the mother plant may produce three shoots each and so on. Fast-forward four years, the single plant you planted will have produced sixty canes stretching up to thirty feet in height.
Should each pole be sold at a throw-away-price of Sh100, each plant will give you Sh6,000. If you multiply Sh6,000 by the number of shoots in your farm, it will be Sh6,000x200 which toals to Sh1,200,000.The only disadvantage with bamboo plants would be that they are only commercially useful from year four to year six after planting.
Is there a ready market for bamboo in Kenya ?
While the market is available, you may have to do a bit of marketing just to create sustainable demand for your product.
The three years that you would have to wait for the crop to mature should be enough for you to create a buzz around your farm so that you are assured of earning from your sweat when the day of harvest arrives.
Apart from direct marketing, you can get a little innovative to create and sell bamboo products. Examples of products you can produce and sell to a ready-market include bamboo matchsticks, toothpicks, bamboo charcoal or even bamboo beer. You can also create nice art products with it and start selling to individuals and corporate entities in your area.
Swelling Rift Valley lakes visit misery on residents
By Jeremiah Chamakany
Cenral Rift Valley is witnessing severe environmental disasters wrought by nature in recent times.
Both human beings and animals around lakes Baringo, Naivasha and Bogoria have been on the receiving end ever since the onset of the long rains. Marigat in Baringo South constituency has registered a massive loss of crops from the floods that have also disrupted social life.
Permanent and seasonal rivers feeding lakes Baringo and Bogoria have witnessed an increase in the annual discharge of water as a result of frequent precipitation.
Territories
Residents living around lakes Baringo and Bogoria are bowing to the dictates of the water bodies that continue claiming and conquering new territories.
Together with the surging shorelines, mosquitoes now breed in billions while crocodiles and hippos roam villages declaring to all who is the master in the duel of man versus nature.
Residents of Salabani Location in Baringo South and Loruk trading centre in Baringo North have received very harsh and unwelcome treatment from the acts of nature.
Apart from people being displaced from their homes, many public amenities like schools, cattle dips, dispensaries and trading centres are fast becoming part of lake sediment.
They remain in total darkness and risk being swallowed by the lake and later to be discovered by the next generation of marine archaeologists.
Affected
Human beings in the affected regions have the ready option of fleeing to higher grounds, a vivid reminder of the biblical floods, only that in the case of the Baringo, man is only trying to save himself and his livestock but not the wildlife.
Apart from floods, the Mathenge tree has continued to be a menace for farmers in the area.
According to Richard Chepchome from Baringo North, the Mathenge tree was introduced to Baringo through the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) programme, purposely to curb erosion and provide
Children wade through floods in Loruk near Lake Baringo recently. Photo/Talarus Chesang.
forest cover in the Ilchamus flats and Tugen Hills.
“I worked for Food and Agriculture Organisation between 1983-1988 and visited Australia to see how best the tree could stop sheet erosion and provide cover for the bare lands,” said Chepchome.
However, Chepchome dismissed claims that the tree was behind the flooding and the surging of lakes within Marigat, a view he shares with Walter Tanui, the Water Resource Management Authority (WARMA) Manager Baringo Sub-Region.
Flooding
“No one exactly knows why there is so much flooding or rise of water levels in Baringo lakes because there are many unproven scientific theories around,” stated Tanui. One of the reasons given is siltation but somewhere in Loruk an old man claims that the Lake Baringo is just out to reclaim the boundaries she ceded to the dry lands back in the year 1962.
Tanui says that is not true because no researcher has conducted a study to reach that conclusion.
“Global climatic changes have been advanced to explain the phenomenon, but we are still looking forward to getting factual information from the experts,’’ said Tanui.
Baringo Deputy Governor Jacob Chepkwony, who is the chairman County Disaster and Emergency Management Plan, has appealed for a long lasting solution from the national government to end the floods problem in Baringo.
Danger lurks in lakes Baringo and Bogoria, he said, adding that there is need for a scientific approach to deal with the natural disasters and the rise of water volumes in the lakes.
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THE WATER WORLD SEPTEMBER, 2020
WATER SERVICE PROVIDERS
Athi Water Works to increase supply
By Staff Reporter
Athi Water Works Development Agency is set to drill an additional 100 boreholes to supply 22.6 million litres of water in Nairobi and neighbouring counties.
An estimated 1.2 million residents are set to benefit from the project free of charge.
The phase II drilling project traverses Nairobi, Murang’a, Kiambu, Kajiado and Machakos counties.
Nairobi County will receive an estimated 11,353,000 litres from 60 boreholes which will benefit residents of Huruma, Shauri Moyo, Jericho, Makadara, Dandora, Korogocho, Kibarage, Kangemi, Kayole, Embakasi, Kasarani, Mathare, Muthurwa, Kibera, Kawangware, Ruai, Githurai, Kamae, Industrial Area and Makongeni.
Demand for water in the capital city currently stands at 810,000 cubic metres against daily supply of 550, 000 cubic metres.
Kiambu and Murang’a have been allocated 13 boreholes each while Kajiado and Machakos counties have 14 each.
The phase II project commenced in July and is expected to address perennial water shortages in the counties.
Phase I of the access to free water commenced in April and supplied 14.8 million litres daily to 750,000 residents.
The project is a big boost during the Covid-19 pandemic that requires plenty of water to contain spread of the virus through constant sanitation as directed by the Ministry of Health.
APPOINTMENT
Mamo named NEMA Director General
The Board of Directors of National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has officially announced the appointment of Mamo Boru Mamo (pictured) as the Director General.
NEMA Board Chairman John O. Konchellah said the appointment took effect from August 13, 2020. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Mamo Boru Mamo as the incoming Director General of NEMA. The appointment takes effect following a competitive process where he emerged as the top candidate in the interview,” said Konchellah.
Mamo has over 20 years’ experience in the public service with 16 years’ experience at NEMA.
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NEWS FEATURE Lives at risk as Mtopanga river gets toxic with rising pollution
By Hilton Mwabili
Over the decades, Thomas Omondi,49, a seasoned beach operator at Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach popularly known as pirates, has witnessed brazen sea pollution as the Mtopanga River empties its effluent into the Indian Ocean via the Mtopanga creek. On ordinary days it is difficult to notice where the sea connects to the creek which appears to give the Ocean a wide berth as a ridge of sand separates the two.
According to Omondi, the river and the ocean connect making an “interesting exchange flow” thrice per year mostly in April, June or July and December. During this time, mostly during high tide, Omondi says the ocean and the river seem to push and pull each other in turns.
“Usually the river pulls ocean water in through the deeper part of the channel for almost 1.5 or 2 kilometres and sends a mixture of ocean and river water back to the ocean in a surface flow. This exchange flow forms a very interesting feature which can be useful for students on educational tours to the Coast,” he explains.
But sadly, he says the exchange invites immense pollution as the river pours all sorts of dirt into the sea. When you follow the Mtopanga River upstream, one fails to discern the difference between the river and an open sewer.
It is defined by a flowing murk clogged by assortment of litter. The dirty water which sips under a bubbling layer of litter is dark and at times turns into thick sludge, made up of a mixture of raw sewage. Downstream beyond the estates, the river continues, crossing the MombasaMalindi road, ending at thecreek and eventually into the Indian Ocean.
For the last seven years, Omondi has volunteered in the clean-up of the river in an effort to save marine life.
“I am a lover of nature since I was a child. In school I was a member of the Wildlife club.Whenever I see this kind of pollution it disturbs me and so I started cleaning the river voluntarily,” he says. The beach operator adds that a Senior Warden who was in charge of Mombasa Marine Park Jane Gitau was the first to introduce him to the cleaning of the river. In 2014, alongside a group of other youths, they formed Mtopanga River Conservation Community Based Organization (CBO) where he took the position of site manager. “The fact that I live around here has really helped me understand the importance and the problems of the river,” he noted. Omondi says after registering the CBO they started surveying the river all the way to its source at Nguu Tatu hills where they established challenges that bog it down. “We realized that the river had almost turned into a sewage conduit because of continued dumping by residents upstream,” Omondi explains.The CBO’s project co-ordinator Martin Wabule says the organisation’s core mandate is to ensure that the estuary is cleaned after establishing that most of the waste coming from the river was posing a threat to marine life. They compiled data on the type of waste swept into the ocean by the river and
“I will lead a team to carry out the assessment of the river before the regeneration exercise begins and in the process bring on board Technical University of Mombasa to treat the water in phases – Nato
Thomas Omondi and Martin Wabule of Mtopanga River Conservation Community Based Organisation (CBO) participate in a clean-up exercise at Mtopanga Creek. Waste dumped in the creek finds its way into the Indian Ocean.
analyzed the dangers involved. That, Webule says would help prioritize their roles in the clean-up exercise and help them execute their duties with more vigour. “We realized that some of the waste was responsible for killing of important marine life like turtles, crabs and fish which were dying and in fact it was like almost nobody cared,” Webule said.Sometimes they find carcasses of turtles and report to the officers of Marine Park.
Adjacent to the creek are mountains of all sorts of waste retrieved from the river.
They include plastic bottles, used condoms, needles and syringes, glass bottles, household equipment and other pollutants.
Data sheet
“We have a data sheet where we record all the waste retrieved from the river,” the site manager says.
However, they say their task is made difficult by continued dumping upstream.
“We plan to start planting mangroves around the river and mount a giant sieve to trap solid wastes, ” explains Omondi.
A recent study by a Kenya based marine ecosystems organisation Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO) East Africa indicates that Kenya’s beaches are littered with plastic and other floating waste.
The study report indicated that national campaigns are needed to mobilize the country and return beaches to a clean state.
It states: “Reducing waste should be done by building better waste management systems and proper waste collection. Youth and cottage industries should be promoted for waste collection that can turn the waste into useful products for local sale and reuse.”
In the County Annual Development Plan 2017/2018 Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho’s administration had planned rehabilitation of public parks and beaches at an estimated cost of Sh 20 million. Among the activities that were proposed in the plan are rehabilitating Mama Ngina, Uhuru garden and Fort Jesus and Kenyatta public beach.
However, there has been nothing on the ground to show in terms of progress.
Again, under the proposed 2020/2021 budget the county has allocated Sh1 billion to the department of environment representing seven per cent of the entire county budget of Sh14.6 billion.
The move has sparked fury from a section of residents on grounds that the department had over the years fallen short of expectations in discharging its mandate.
Contacted, County Executive Committe Member (CECM) for environment, waste management and energy, Dr Godffery Nyongesa Nato blamed residents, he said, are notorious for directing sewer lines into the river but was quick to disclose the county’s “elaborate plan of action to regenerate the river.” Nato promised that the regeneration process was to begin before the end of July. According to the executive, the exercise will see residents who have encroached riperian land evicted and the sewer lines disconnected. “We are planning to map out all the sensitive areas of the river before we embark on the exercise. I will lead a team to carry out the assessment of the river before the exercise begins. In the process we are going to bring on board Technical University of Mombasa to treat the water in phases,” explained Nato, adding that the exercise will involve the departments of Environment, Transport and Water and Sanitation as well as the youth groups.
Ndakaini tunnel project delayed
The Northern Water Collector Tunnel in Murang’a county that was earmarked for completion by March this year is still facing challenges.
The project was a few years ago opposed by opposition and local politicians among them ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Construction, however, continued but is yet to be completed due to compensation wrangles by land owners.
More than 500 families in Gatundu North are up in arms because they have allegedly not been compensated for land and property that was cleared to create room for the project.
Nairobi residents will, therefore, have to wait longer to benefit from the water supply project.
The project includes construction of a 12 km long water transferee tunnel intercepting three rivers to the north of Nairobi and transferring the water to Ndakaini Dam, the main source for Nairobi.
The four metre diameter, bulk water transfer tunnel is connected to Maragua, Gikigie and Irati rivers.
The project commenced in February 2015 and is expected to increase the dam water capacity by 140 million litres of water per day.
Athi Water Chief Executive Officer Michael Thuita says the project will transfer water across rugged terrain.
“Some places have different heights and, therefore, it would be a challenge to pump the water up and down unlike the tunnel which can pump and transport across all terrains,” said the CEO.
China Gezhouba Group Company is undertaking the project under the supervision of the Athi Water Services Board.
-Our Reporter
Gatundu water project resumes amid protests
A contractor has resumed work at the Sh24 billion Karimenu II Dam in Gatundu, Kiambu County despite protests by land owners.
The excavation works resumed despite the resistance of some residents of Gatundu North in Kiambu County over unsettled compensation claims.
The works had been ongoing since April last year but residents accused the contractor of encroaching on their ancestral land without full compensation.
The residents also protested during phase I of the construction, and ejected workers from the construction site.
The dam is expected to supply water residents of Thika, Juja Ruiru, Nairobi and surrounding areas.
The Karimenu II Dam project is funded jointly by the Kenyan Government and China Exim Bank and implemented by International Holding Corporation and Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute.
The dam sits on a 600 acre piece of land with a capacity of 26,540,000 cubic metres and is expected to be completed by December this year.
It will supply 70,000 cubic metres of clean water for domestic, agricultural and commercial use.
-Correspondent
Thwake Dam to be ready in December
By Our Reporter
The construction of Sh82 billion Thwake Dam meant to serve Kitui and Makueni County residents is set to be finalized by the end of this year.
The project is currently at 32 per cent but ought to be at 37 per cent, the delay having been occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic that resulted in reduction of site workers to meet the physical distancing requirement.
“We had to reduce the number of workers on site from 1,200 down to 700 in line with the Ministry of Health guidelines to contain the spread of the virus,” said Apopo Lentana of China Ghezouba Company, the contractor.
He said engineers are undertaking major works including establishment of two mega tunnels to divert Athi River water to dry land for excavation works on the river bed.
“We are currently at 32 per cent and we will compensate on lost time during this period wasted due to the pandemic,” he said.
To adhere to safety measures,the contractor noted that routine tests are being undertaken on their workers and safety precautions undertaken including issuance of face masks and screening.
One tunnel is now in progress at 280 metres and is expected to be 700 metres when completed.
Change course
The two tunnels will be used as substitute water ways where Athi River will change course before later joining the original path to the Indian Ocean.
The project is jointly funded by the Kenyan Government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) implementable in four phases at a cost of Sh81.89 billion.
The National Government will invest Sh59.95 billion in the project while AfDB will cover the remaining Sh21.94 billion.
Phase I involves construction of 87 metre high dam wall, phase II involves installation of a hydro power generator plant, phase III the installation of water supply, sanitation, and waste water infrastructure and finally phase IV involves development of the irrigation component.
The dam will provide water for domestic, irrigation, hydropower as well as industrial activities in the two counties.
Water, Sanitation and Irrigation CS Sicily Kariuki and Makueni County Commissioner Mohammed Maalim, among others, during a tour of Thwake Dam project in Makueni. Photo/Lydia Ngoolo
BUSIA
7,000 in Teso to benefit from 50,000-litre tank
By Godfrey Wamalwa
Over 7,000 residents of Angurai South Ward are set to benefit from an improved water supply following the installation of a 50,000-litre elevated water storage tank at Kakapel, Teso North Sub County.
Water stored in the steel tank will be pumped from Akibui borehole which currently serves 70 households.
The Sh10 million project, a collaborative effort between the County Government of Busia and the World Vision, will provide a lasting solution to water challenges in the ward.
Speaking after a joint inspection of the project together with the Akibui Water Management Committee, the County Chief Officer for Water and Irrigation, upper region, Hellen Mukanda lauded support from World Vision and called on various water committees to work towards ensuring sustainability of the project.
“All the water kiosks in this area are already functional and so the people are already accessing water before we extend the pipelines to the homesteads,” she said.
The Deputy Sub County Water Officer, Simeon Esamai said the new water pump will increase the amount of water distributed from 10,000 to 14,000 litres per hour.
“Water is also going to be distributed from this point to Akichelesit Primary school and Akichelesit dispensary,” he said.
The officers said the pipelines will also be extended to Aedomoru and its environs as they oversaw the repair of various sections of the main line which had previously been destroyed due to road works, floods and theft of GI pipes.
NEMA shuts down Kitui County abattoir
By Boniface Mulu
The main abattoir in Kitui County has been shut down by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) for operating without the effluent discharge licence (EDL).
Shutting down the county government owned facility, the NEMA Kitui County Director Njoki Mukiri warned against reopening of the abattoir before it has acquired the EDL from her office.
“The abattoir will remain closed until they get the EDL as per the law because the waste water flows to the environment directly without control and we as the NEMA can’t allow that,” she warned.
NEMA officials toured Mutomo market where they closed a cottage and a filling station for operating without the EDL. At Kalundu market, they ordered the demolition of a section of a guest house encroaching on riparian land.
She said anyone operating a bio-digester or water systems should have the EDL, even when the effluent is in a soak-pit.
“ Elders’ flashback into the history of Gurusalal Falls takes the current generation down memory lane to the colonial times.
Mission to rewrite sad tale of Eldama Ravine waterfall
By Jeremiah Chamakany
A mission to reclaim a lost paradise in Eldama Ravine town in Baringo County is on course.
Old visitors toEldamaRavinetown in Baringo County will remember Gurusalal, a beautiful and a breathtaking waterfall on the Perkera River.
The mini look-alike of Nyahururu’s Thompson Falls was a breathtaking site for local residents and visitors who went there to while away their afternoons.
Eldama Ravine Member of County Assembly Julius Ngotie now says plans to reclaim and develop the tourist attraction are in the pipeline.
A colony of colobus monkeys, other small primates and rare bird species like the hornbill once had permanent homes at the waterfall, but they are no more, having been driven away by human activities.
What remains of this once beautiful sanctuary is nothing but sad tales, a narrative that is set to change by next year.
“Through the County Integrated Development Plan, we have engaged Eldama Ravine residents public participation,” stated Ngotie.
Funding will now be allocated to the Gurusalal Valley reclamation project to make it a vibrant economic powerhouse with a capacity to employ hundreds of youths through the hospitality industry.
Ngotie said they will borrow heavily from what is happening around Thompson’s Falls in Nyahururu.
“We will plant trees and ensure that we reclaim and safeguard the natural habitat and by so doing, our youth will be able to invest in small businesses around the falls that is now a haven for Chang;aa production,” noted Ngotie.
A flashback into the history of Gurusal takes us all the way back to colonial times.
Senior Rtd. Chief Pius Lebelio of Eldama Ravine points out that unlike colonial times when Gurusalal was a paradise in her own right, the valley is currently a very disturbing place in Koibatek.
Lebelio recounts a very disturbing incident when a teenage girl walked all the way from Maji Mazuri about 10 kilometres away to commit suicide by jumping into the deep waterfall from the cliff.
“This valley would have been a wonderful tourist attraction but that is not the case. It once teemed with a diversity of plants and animals, tall trees and bush vines that were a sight to behold that is no more,” reminisced Lebelio.
Looking back and indulging in enjoyable recollection of past events that took place at Gurusulal, Lebelio sadly murmurs that the good old days may never return.
The retired officer says: “Those days are gone, maybe forever because Gurusulal is now a place where people go to die either by jumping down the cliff or through slow death which comes by drinking illicit alcohol brewed at the valley.”
About 10 to 15 cases of suicide were committed in the Gurusalal valley during his time in office.
Stolen livestock are also slaughtered in Gurusulal even during the day as the illegal chang’aa manufacturing continues unabated.
According to Aron Taalam , one of the locals living near the valley, children who like crying at night are told to shut up or they will be taken to Gurusalal valley where troubled people meet their death or drown their sorrows in alcohol. “Many suicide victims spend their time here alone, and in silence gazing at the falling waters and finally gather the courage of jumping to their deaths down the cliff where their spirits remain lingering,’’ said Taalam with fear written in his eyes.
When The Water World visited the valley in company of a local guide, a pungent smell of alcohol and the wet ash hit our noses as two middle-aged men with dreadlocks looked at us suspiciously from across the valley.
“They think we are the police,’’ our guide said, as I learned that the two are some well known residents of the valley.
They live here and love the valley because it is here that they are guaranteed of satisfying their drug addiction after chopping trees for firewood to supply the chang’aa boilers,” said Taalam.
There is a lot of graffiti on the rocks, mostly names of residents who committed suicide by jumping into the waterfall. According to the guide, residents believe that the spirits of the dead are alive in the valley.
Residents of nearby ShauriYako slums have narratives about the spirits of the dead in Gurusulal exchanging some unprintable obscenities at night.
They say the voices sound very much like an angry bunch of drunkards who become more audible when it’s raining.
Cigarette butts and abandoned women underwear are easy to spot when you take a stroll inside the valley.
You can also get a chance to read a list of names belonging to the ‘heroes’ who courageously met their untimely deaths by plunging down the cliff.
In the recent national campaign to fight illicit brews, Gurusalal was the only place where police feared to conduct raids, until there was a big enough crowd of local people to accompany them.
According to an elder Abdul Musa who served as a Councillor for Eldama Ravine in the former County Council of Koibatek, the name Gurusulal is from the Nubian community who were among the early inhabitants of Eldama Ravine town.
Musa said Nubians settled at the present day Kabonyony estate which borders the Perkera River, having served as porters during the colonial days.
They gave it a Nubian name ‘Gurusa-lal’, which actually means a ‘silent river’ because children could watch tadpoles playing in the clear water and see dragon flies making their somersaults in celebration of God’s perfect Eden .
“It should be turned into an investment to tap money through tourism by constructing a big hotel which can bring in tourists and create jobs to hundreds of youths in Baringo,” said Musa,
Ngotie says they are planning to fence off the valley and plant thousands of trees which would attract back colonies of Colubus monkeys and other wildlife which in turn, would attract tourists.
