The Roan antelopes at Ruma National Park in Homa Bay County are a lonely lot unlike the Big Five in other national parks that attract millions of tourists annually. The park is famous for being the home of Africa’s rarest, biggest antelope that is a camera-shy antelope only found in the country’s western tourist circuit.
Ruma National Park, previously called Lambwe Valley Game Reserve, was gazetted in 1983 and is on a 123 square kilometre area considered as an island of wildlife in a sea of intensive cultivation near the shores of Africa’s biggest lake, Lake Victoria.
It has two of the five Big Five African game animals, the missing wildlife are lions, cheetahs and elephants. That term was coined in the colonial times by hunters who considered the five as not only the most difficult to hunt on foot, but also the most dangerous as well.
Foreign and local tourists to the western circuit have the option of either travelling by road (378 Km) or by chartered light aircraft from Nairobi or Mombasa to visit the world famous Masai Mara Game Reserve in neibouring Narok County to watch the annual wildebeest migration and water spots on the Lake Victoria islands of Rusinga, Mfangano and Takawiri.
A recent trip to Ruma, which is one of 23 national parks, four marine parks and 28 national reserves, brought back fond memories of my previous two over a decade ago where other tourist attractions are white rhinos, buffaloes, Rothschild giraffes, zebras, Ostriches among others.
My maiden trip was in the 1990s when I used my good working relations with the then KWS Warden, Mr Baraza, to access the park driving our Nation Kisumu Bureau car with my wife, son, daughter and four cousins on board. Despite being born and raised in Lambwe Valley, I had never ventured into Ruma and had always had stories about the wild animals that were there, some forced the villagers to have sleepless nights holding night vigils on their farms to keep off straying buffaloes, antelopes and even cheaters, which raided the chicken and livestock’s crawl and caused mayhem.
By then, the relationship between the KWS and the villagers was bad as they looked at each other as enemies; the former protected the wildlife while the latter accused of threatening the animals and their environment. I still vividly remember two incidents; the first was of a villager who was found with game meat and was beaten to a pulp, arrested, charged in court and jailed.
The other was of one of my parent’s workers who managed to corner an antelope which had wandered on our farm and he slaughtered it and presented it for nyama choma and meat-stew with ugali for our dinner.
The trip was both a tour of the facility and an opportunity to visit our uncle, Joseph Amara, across the park at his Nyakia village home. During the game drive, we were all mesmerized by the huge number of wild animals in the park as we counted and named them one by one.
The second trip was in late 1990’s as the Nation Kisumu Chief to cover a major project by KWS Director, David Western, when he went to launch a multi-million shillings fencing of Ruma, several bore halls and a dam to promote and reduce human-wildlife conflicts. I was driven to the site by our official driver and was accompanied by one of our photographers to capture the historic even.
We met the Director and his entourage at KWS headquarters and drove in a convoy with him through the park as he supervised the projects which also included the building of the roads and an airstrip in the park. The highlight was at the end when the KWS boss held a baraza with Kamato Pundo elders and villagers after a lively entertainment by students from neighbouring primary and secondary schools and a sumptuous meal.
I stood tall during the event as one of their sons who had returned home to give back to the society as far as highlighting development issues through the media. I had never been more glad and satisfied as a professional and Lambwe villager.
Fast forward to my recent and latest trip from the Nyatoto Gate, which is near to Gwassi hills, 14 Km East of the main gate at Kamato gate, which is near the KWS Ruma National Park headquarters.
I parked the car and was welcomed by a smiling ranger who also allowed one of my three companions to charge her phone using their solar-powered battery. While waiting for our phones to be charged after an overnight vigil at our uncle’s farm in Nyakia village, some 10 Km. away, we engaged the ranger in a conversation about the park, the traffic and the number of Roan antelopes and rhinos in the well-fenced facility.
According to the ranger, the number of tourists has been picking up, especially after the height of the Corona-19 virus which forced many tourists’ facilities to be closed down and/or reduced their services to the public.
I needed my cell phone to be ready for the game drive as I anticipated feeling like one of the hundreds of local and foreign tourists who visit the facility and take photos and videos of the big range of wild birds and animals who included impalas, hartebeest, ostriches, baboons, monkeys among others. Another challenge has been the threats to the wild animals, especially the endangered Roan antelope and rhino, by poachers from neighbouring villages.
We paid Shs300 each for the four of us plus another Shs300 for the vehicle before we hit the road with excitement and sense of adventure, especially for the two who were making their maiden trip at a wildlife sanctuary.
I enjoyed doubling as the driver and the tour guide as I bid the ranger farewell and started to share my previous game drive experience with them of Nairobi National Park, in Nairobi County, Masai Mara in Narok County, Shimba Hills in Kwale County and Shaba Game Reserve in Isiolo County, up North.
The serenity and breath-taking view of the flora and fauna at Ruma was a lifetime experience one would not like to miss as we drive through the neck high elephant grass territory with acacia trees doting the park as giraffes, zebras and antelopes went about their business oblivious of our presence.
At one point, our road was blocked by a group of zebras as they lay on the ground, some grazing and others just imbibing the sweet sunshine and fresh air. We stopped to admire them plus the giraffes that were enjoying the fresh leaves and fruits on the mature trees in the area.
We proceeded five minutes later after the zebras literally got up and crossed the road, reminding us of the traffic signs in urban areas showing “Zebra Crossing.” We all craned our necks at every turn as we looked out for the famous but camera-shy Roan antelope as we drove through the park for 14Km passing through the airstrip in the middle of the park and meeting a turning to the farthest point of the park at Nyandiwa, some 24 Km. North East from the KWS headquarters.
Nyandiwa Gate is next to Nyandiwa beach on Lake Victoria from where one can see in the horizon parts of Mfangano Island, Remba Island and Migingo Island, on the Kenya-Uganda border.
Our midday trip was not a lucky one as scorching heat from the sun kept most of the wild animals and birds at bay under the canopy of the many trees, bushes and grass. It was joy to meet two-car convoy of other tourists who were coming from Kamato Gate to Nyatoto Gate; we stopped briefly to exchange greetings and niceties as we went our separate ways.
As we approach the exit at Kamato Gate the environment changed from the Acacia and elephant grass arid and semi-arid zones to green rain forest environment as monkeys and baboons dominated the area. We arrived at the exit and were welcomed by another rather bored ranger who welcomed us warmly and checked our tickets and boot to ensure that we were not poachers who had ulterior motives before opening the gate to allow us to leave the facility for Homa Bay town through Lambwe Valley Settlement Scheme.
We made a brief stopover at my farm bordering the park and then passed by my late grandfather, and late father’s farms and homes which they built after they acquired 25 acres of land each in 1950s under the Settlement Scheme on the eve of Kenya’s independence in 1963.
Enroute to Homa Bay, some 22Km. East, we met another KWS staff vehicle heading to the headquarters and were glad to wave at them and thanking them for a job well done protecting and maintaining the wild birds and animals for tourists like us and for posterity.
More still needs to be done as far as advertising and marketing of the facility by the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), Brand Kenya and other tourist stakeholders to attract more tourists to the park that is sandwiched between Kanyamwa Escarpment, Gwassi Hills and Ruri Hills.
Comentários