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.