Mau Mau's Baobab Tree Hide Out, Kitchen and Meat Store

In the heart of Meru National Park, there is a twin baobab tree that served as a hide out, kitchen and meat store for the Mau Mau in the 1950s. This tree holds some of the secrets about Field Marshal Musa Mwariama, the highest-ranking Mau Mau leader who survived the war without being killed or captured by the colonialists. Mwariama and his troop would slaughter animals and hang all the meat inside the hollow baobab tree. They had hammered wooden pegs inside the hollowed trunk for hanging the meat to avoid vultures from following and betraying Mau Mau to the colonial forces.

                  The 500 years old Baobab Tree

Born M'Kirigua M'Muchiri in 1928 at Athinga, Muthara in Tigania East, Mwariama whose childhood name was Baringo, was commander of hundreds of Mau Mau fighters in Mt Kenya and Nyambene Hills bases. He rose from the rank of General to Field Marshal after the capture and killing of Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi. He had a towering height with constantly searching glances that made him hypnotising and intimidating. 

                Mwariama's hypnotising look

The mere mention of Mwariama's name sent shivers down the backs of the invaders from the British Isles. Because of him, they had to carry their guns at all times, for no one knew the moment and time when Musa Mwariama would suddenly appear from nowhere like a ghost, and exact punishment to the colonialists for their crimes against the natives.

When the colonial soldiers discovered the hide out, there was a fierce battle. Mwariama and his team had to flee toward Tana River which is not so far from the tree. To save his life, Mwariama had to jump into the deep raging river. Once in the river, he was lucky to find a drifting log which he held onto and drifted to the other side of the river. When the 'wabeberu' reached at the bank of the river and saw Mwariama running on the other side of the river, they were amazed at how a human could have jumped across a very wide river.

Entrance to the Hollow Baobab Tree

Mwariama and his troop avoided cooked food to enhance their natural senses. The diet without cooked food also increased the sense of smell and also reduced body odour, making it harder for trackers to pick up the fighter’s scent. 

Mwariama’s death in 1989 was ironical. For more than 10 years, he had survived colonial bullets, deadly traps, wild animals, very tough terrain and weather but died from envenomation after he sucked snake venom out of his friend’s leg. It is claimed the snake’s venom entered his blood stream through cavities in his teeth. The fried survived.  The ultimate sacrifice. A true patriot who died saving a life just like he spent a decade fighting for freedom. 

      The gallant fighter

After Kenya gained independent in 1963, Mwariama and his troop refused to leave the forest fearing for his safely. Emissaries had to be sent to his hideout to assure him Kenya was finally ‘free’. Unfortunately, it is a black man, who was more ruthless and crueller than the white man, who finally put Mwariama in chains and stole his dignity as Mwariama was charged with treason and thrown in prison for 6 months. While the others were given land and government positions in Nairobi, Mwariama was handed a pitiful job as assistant chief, whereby he later resigned.

David Njagi’s book ‘The Last Mau Mau Field Marshals’ has detailed stories about Mwariama and other Mau Mau fighters. 

A Mole that Holds the Secrets of Cancer, Alzheimer and Pain

Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), aptly nicknamed sand puppy, is an obnoxious looking underground dwelling rodent that look like a slack toothed sausage. Though it has a wrinkly hairless body, tiny eyes and elongated pair of front teeth, this mammal may be holding the secrets of how to overcome or avoid cancer, how to avoid aging, feeling pain and even living in the extrasolar planets. Of late, the naked mole rat has caused serious row among scientists over what might be the naked mole rat most unusual feature, outstanding resistance to cancer. 

These burrowing rodents, native to Kenya and horn of Africa, have for many years fascinated medical researchers in many ways. They have surprisingly long lifespans of up to 37 years and have antiaging qualities. They hold the record of the longest living rodents. The reason for their longevity is thought to be related to their ability to substantially reduce their metabolism in response to adverse conditions, and so prevent aging-induced damage from oxidative stress.

They are highly resistant to pain. They do not feel pain when exposed to acid or capsaicin (the active chemical in chilli). They survive for lengthy periods with very limited oxygen level. They survive for at least 5 hours in air that contains only 5% oxygen (man can survive for about 5 - 45 minutes). 

The naked mole-rat does not regulate its body temperature in typical mammalian fashion. Their body temperature changes according to the external temperature, rather than carrying out thermoregulation like other mammals. They are thermos-conformers rather than thermos-regulators.

They are also one of the only mammals known to live in highly organised, multigenerational colonies, similar to ants and bees. Though they live in colonies made up of 100 individuals (sometimes they can grow to a 300- strong group), there is only a single female (queen) who breeds and mates with one or two, breeding males. The rest of the colony, of both sexes, have their reproduction suppressed and never ever breed, they are sterile. The small ones tend to act as workers and carry out colony maintenance activities. The larger moles seem to adopt a more defensive role, acting as solders keeping predators, such as snakes, at bay.

They live in complex underground tunnels which have great deal of branching and interconnections, resulting to a colony's total tunnel length of up to 4 kilometers. Tunnels connect nest chambers, toilet areas and food sources. Burrowing is the only way these animals find food, because they do not venture above ground. They are well adapted to their underground existence. They have small eyes, short thin legs. Nevertheless, they are highly proficient at moving underground and can move backward as fast as they can move forward.

Naked mole-rats have a high resistance to tumours. Scientists claim the moles have a potential mechanism that averts cancer, an ‘over-crowding’ gene, p16, which prevents cell division once individual cells come into contact. Scientists have also claimed that the reason naked mole-rats do not get cancer be attributed to an extremely high-molecular natural sugary substance, which is over ‘five times large’ than that in cancer-prone humans and cancer-susceptible laboratory animals. There also claims that the naked mole rats are so good at avoiding cancer because of their way of life. 

In Kenya, the naked mole-rats are found in Meru National Park, Tsavo East National Park and Kibwezi area. 

Kenya’s Rarest Antelope

Roan Antelope. Korongo in Swahili.

One of Kenya’s rarest antelopes and the third largest of Kenya’s antelopes. A large horse like antelope with a grey to rufous coat and a distinctive a black-and-white clown-like facemask, which is darker in males than females. It has long, tasseled ears.

Named for its roan color (a reddish-brown), it has a lighter underbelly, white eyebrows and cheeks, and black face. It has short, erect manes, a very light beard, and prominent red nostrils. 

Both males and females have ringed backward-curving, scimitar like horns, although they are shorter in the females.

Once a widely distributed species in Kenya, the roan antelope numbers are on the decline. According to KWS official 2021 Census report, there are currently just 14 roan antelopes in the country. All the 14 are found in Ruma National Park, located in the former Lambwe Valley in Homa Bay County. This is a huge decline in the number of roan antelopes, from 202 in 1976 to 14 in 2021.

This massive decline in numbers can be attributed to killing of the Roan for meat and traditional values – such as horns for musical instruments and skin for burial ceremonies. Predation of young roan antelopes by hyaenas and pythons is also a major cause of this decline. After giving birth, the mothers keep the young roan away from herd for six weeks, exposing them to predators.

The small number of the roans within the park has already resulted in high levels of inbreeding, which most likely increase the roan’s vulnerability to diseases, stress and reduce their fertility, growth rate and survival.

Roan antelopes are similar in appearance to the Sable antelope and can be confused where their ranges overlap. Sable antelope males, however, are notably darker and have a brownish-black coat.

Scientifically, Roan Antelope is known as Hippotragus equinus. 'Equinus' comes from the Latin word 'equus' ('horse-like'), referring to its horse-like appearance.

Roan antelopes have an unusual call that sounds like a whistle. However, when they are angry they emit a high-pitched squeal, a horse like snort if scared, and a low hiss if they are wounded. 

Roans congregate in herds of up to 20 individuals with a very characteristic social structure. Within the group, the more dominant female is the leader. There is only one adult male (called a bull) in each herd. The juvenile males are exiled from the herd at about 3 years old.

All the female calves remain. When the herd gets too large, it divides into smaller groups of cows and their young. These groups will form new herds, once again with only one adult bull.

The young males, which have been separated from the herd, associate in "bachelor groups" of up to 12 individuals. Among the bachelors, the most dominant will be the first individual to join a new group of females when the position is open. Sometimes, during their fights for dominancy, they inflict bodily harm to the contender.

Roan antelope are brave animals. If threatened by a predator, including lions, they will confront it, using their scimitar-shaped horns. Many of these big cats have died during such fights.

Safari Ants :Natural Wound Sutures?

Siafu.  Safari ants also referred to as ‘driving ants’, ‘legionary ants’, or ‘visiting ants’. They exhibit extremely aggressive nomadic behaviours and indiscriminately kill by overwhelming prey with their massive numbers. True to their name, they are always in large numbers on safari, visiting or attacking. They do not stay. They pass through an area like a swarm of locusts and wipe out anything in their path. The only way to escape their attack is take off or remain motionless. 

                            Solder Safari ant

The safari ants’ society has three main castes each with specific roles and responsibilities. 

Soldier ants, the large ants with an oversized head and gigantic mandibles, are the defense force.  The defend the family. Their mandibles are actually so large that soldier ants can't feed without assistance from the smaller worker ants.

Worker ants are smaller in size and have smaller mandibles. They are responsible for everything from fighting on the front lines to carrying food back to the nest to caring for the queen and her eggs. Workers tend to live about a year. 

Queen is the only reproductive female of the colony. She is protected and cared for by her colony, as she is what unites the nest and so her survival is very key. She can live up to 20 years. She is the largest of the ants, with an oversized abdomen for accomplishing her reproductive needs. As the only reproducer, the entire colony (some 300,000 to 50 million ants) are most likely all her offspring. 

The entire colony made of females. The male ants are bred for reproductive needs only.  These alates (winged drones) are formed during mating season. They are larger than solders, have wings and bloated sausage like abdomens. No wonder they are sometimes referred to as Sausage flies.  They leave the colony soon after hatching. Once they reach sexual maturity, they are drawn to the scent trail left by a column of siafu.  When a colony encounters a male, the tear off his wings and carries him back to the nest to mate with the queen. The male dies about 48 hours after mating with the queen.  The queen lays up to 1 million eggs per month. 

                    Saugage fly - Male Safari Ant

The safari ants are blind. They can only sense light intensity, but not discern anything in front of them. They rely on a form of chemical communication called pheromones, which they taste and/or smell with their antennae. They use up to 20 different pheromone cues to communicate with their colony as well as discern friend from foe. Some beetles, wasps, and millipedes are able to produce a chemical that mimics the army ant pheromone scent. This way they can actually conceal themselves from safari ant detection and avoid being attacked and eaten.

                  Solders' guarding on a trail

The siafu bites are used as natural emergency sutures (wound stitches). The solder ants are allowed to bite on both sides of the gash, then break of the body leaving ants head act as makeshift surgical staples creating a seal that can hold for days allowing natural healing to take place

                                    Soldier's Bite