Chapter 3 - The White Highlands

CHAPTER THREE





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The White Highlands of Kenya

Ibrahim's fascination with the African continent was imprinted in his soul; it was the beginning of a deep love affair with Kenya. Driven by a compelling energy and force that steered his mind into exploring the truth. He was a God fearing individual, who respected the gift of life in all humans and animals, upholding everyone in the same light. Criticism and humiliation of others was not part of his make up. Ibrahim's philosophy of life was simplistic and realistic. He felt that opportunities were born to those who loved and believed in themselves, and accepted who they were and not what society perceived them to be in a materialistic world. He emphasized that everybody had a right to develop themselves by acquiring a broad wealth of knowledge and skills, based on the willingness of making choices. Choices opened windows of opportunity, and opportunity meant moving forward. The step forward brought about change, something achievable only by having gone through a series of rich obstacle courses or stepping stones. He did not spend his time trying to find strategic ways of gaining self importance, this was something he shied away from. Ibrahim’s brain was like a ticking time machine, yet his focus and objectives were cemented from an early age.

Nairobi, at the time was not a place of great importance on the map; it was an austere place of endless swamps and water logged areas, quite impossible to survive on as it was unhealthy and gave rise to mosquitoes. Being aware that with the link of the up coming railway, it would all change. He wished for a solid start to secure his business, and Nairobi somehow did not appeal to him. The present site of Nairobi was selected as a stores depot, a shunting yard, (a place where trains are shifted from one track to another), and later it became a camping ground for the thousands of Indian laborers working on the railway, and a number of British colonials. When Ibrahim first came to Nairobi, it had next to no dwellings, however as years rolled by, there were some tin shacks, tents and structures built of mud.

The British wanted control of the Bugandan Kingdom, (Uganda), particularly because it would open a door to the fertile Buganda plateau that lay immediately north of Lake Victoria, (which was inhabited by three million people already), and had a much greater potential for economic development. Buganda was the most powerful central African regime. Building the Ugandan railway line from Kenya’s coast, Mombasa, to Western Kenya, would therefore enable them to gain control and access to Buganda.

The colonial government invested £6.5 million from English Tax Payers money to build the railway. This did not go without condemnation by the British public. In order to generate revenue for the government and justify the railway cost, Sir Charles Elliot, the Commissioner at the time, decided that Europeans would farm the lands close to the railway. British authorities, one of who was Lord Delamere, hoped these settlers would develop a modern economic sector. The highlands combined a pleasant climate and was thought as good quality land therefore being ideal for growing a variety of cash crops. In 1901, certain highland areas of the East Africa Protectorate were reserved for European settlement only, hence the title, ‘The White Highlands’. Indians were allowed to settle in the low-lying areas near Lake Victoria and along the coastal strip, and the local inhabitants, mainly Kikuyu and Maasai were forced out and relocated on certain reserves.

Originally, the people of Kenya came from three different groups; Bantu, Nilotes and Cushites. Nomadic Cushitic tribes from Ethiopia made their way onto Kenyan soil back near 2000 BC, and were actually the first group of people to arrive in Kenya. A second group followed around 1000 BC and occupied much of central Kenya. The rest of the ancestors of the country's medley of tribes arrived from all over the continent between 500 BC and AD 500. The Bantu-speaking people (such as the Gusii, Kikuyu, Akamba and Meru) arrived from West Africa while the Nilotic speakers (Maasai, Luo, Samburu and Turkana) came from the Nile Valley in southern Sudan, with the Luo and Maasai tribes settling around the rift valley region, although later the Luo settled around Lake Victoria. With the arrival of the Bantu and Nilotes, the Cushites were dispersed into different parts of the country. Many of them lived in semi arid and arid areas of the country. Unlike the Bantu, they do not farm at all. They are cattle herders instead. Most of their tribes include Borana, Burji, El Molo, Orma, Somali and Rendile.

Ibrahim did not have a doubt in his mind that Nairobi, in good time, would be an ideal business location, but his mind projected to Nakuru. Foreseeing that inevitably it would develop into a strong central business area, he felt compelled to start his new life there. Some of the Europeans, mainly Boers from South African, had already settled in the highlands, and others were continuing to migrate in caravan loads. Indians, British, Jews, Greeks, Germans and Italians would also follow in the near future. Ibrahim sensed a great magnetism towards Nakuru, it most definitely felt right for him. Nakuru's future expansion would demand building materials, construction tools and other necessary supplies. However, he was met with the realization that he had no capital and needed to figure out a worthy and feasible business plan.

He approached a few of the traders with his proposition, issuing a bold statement by offering to market some of their supplies, on a commission bases in Nakuru. He assured them that it would, undoubtedly promote their business prospects. Not everyone took kindly to his suggestion, but the few that did, could see valuable insight in the man. Their business returns were very slow and unpredictable as it had been an uphill struggle for most. By turning over their merchandise, unquestionably it could only help to improve their profit margin.

Having his supplies at hand, in addition to a couple of notebooks, one for accounting purposes, and another as a small diary, some tinned food, sugar, tea, a few medical supplies, and a ration of drinking water, he proceeded to prepare his donkey for the journey. Feeling very isolated and a little apprehensive, he prayed before heading out. He thought of his family in India, wondering how they were, as he had not sent any word back to them, he prayed for their safety too.

Having had a late start from Nairobi, he left without further delay, heading north. The onset of his journey took him through Fort Smith, named after Captain Eric Smith who ran his station from there, (It is presently called Kikuyu). European traders were already established there, one lady, of Irish decent, called Mary Walsh, was only too well known for her hot temperament. A red-haired woman whose choice of weapon was a whip that she liberally used with great force, should anyone happen to cross her path. She sent many a man hollering, rubbing their buttocks and vowing never to challenge her again. Ibrahim had heard stories about her, saying she had earned herself the title 'Bibi Kiboko', a Swahili word meaning, a stick intended for purposes of caning. At the same time, a Dr Boedeker and his wife, who had travelled from Scotland, were also known to early pioneers as being one of the first Europeans to have settled in the rift valley area. The Boedekers built a house in Naivasha that, at a later stage, became the famous half way point for travellers, when it was turned into a famous restaurant and bar called the 'Bell Inn'. Delicious home made meals, breads and pastries could be found there, the best known in the whole of the country. Mrs Boedeker had a reputation for being an extremely hardworking, enterprising and worthy lady.

Ibrahim's journey led him to a rolling green countryside resembling an idyllic English country scene with its rich green foliage and tiny hills, it was absolutely picturesque. Continuing on in the interior, he entered a dark dense forest of towering cyprus trees, the ground beneath was soft and swampy. On either side of him, endless labyrinths ran in and out of the spaces between the trees, eerily not a single ray of light was visible when he looked through. The cold chilly air hit him in an unfriendly manner, enveloping his whole body before penetrating through to his bones. His body crawled in goose bumps, and he felt every hair pricking from underneath his clothing, an icy shiver ran up his spine before he drew his coat tightly around him. With one hand leading the donkey, he quickened his pace to generate body heat. Fascinated again at the remarkable contrast of this journey to the last, he never imagined so many geographical changes taking place at such short intervals. He was still in danger of leopards, lions, rhino and jackals that roamed freely in the area.

The light changed and suddenly the forest came to life with a lively chorus of birds, chirping frantically from their nests, beckoning to their mates. As the sun floated down, hues of fiery crimson and amber painted the sky, catching the forest with it's warm glow. Breaking his journey for the night, Ibrahim led his donkey to a small stream nearby before preparing a fire. As he lay exhausted on his woven mat, the dark canopy looked down upon him, dazzling him with clusters of jewels sweeping through the heavens.

At the first break of light, Ibrahim rose and after praying, he breakfasted on a tin of fruit, before departing the boundaries of Kijabe, (a place meaning ‘windy place’, in Maa), heading towards the crude and jagged plateau of the Rift Valley Escarpment.

The highlands lie above 1,200 metres in altitude and the plateau is cut north and south by a huge gash, which is the formation of what is called The Great Rift Valley; a formation that is one of the dominating features of Kenya, it is simply breath taking. Africa's Great Rift Valley is a 1,400-metre fissure in the earth's crust, stretching from Lebanon to Mozambique. One of its most dramatic sections slices through East Africa, dividing Kenya into two segments; the Mau Escarpment to the west and the Aberdare Range to the east. The valley itself is 50 to 130 km wide, and its floor rises from about 450 metres in the north around Lake Turkana (previously called Lake Rudolf) to over 2,100 metres at Lake Naivasha where it begins to descend. A chain of shallow lakes separated by extinct volcanoes occupies the floor of the Rift Valley. Lake Naivasha is the largest of these; the others include Lakes Elementaita, Nakuru, Bogoria, Baringo and Magadi. The Rift Valley was formed when violent subterranean forces split the earth's crust. These forces caused huge chunks of the crust to sink between parallel fault lines, which in turn, forced up molten rock in volcanic eruptions, a process termed as rifting.






No sooner had Ibrahim entered the escarpment, he was stunned by what lay in front of him. His eyes soaked in the most powerful sight he had seen. It felt as if the ground had escaped from under him and the scenery had taken a huge plunge to the bottom of the earth. The abundant plain stretched itself generously beyond the horizon. Tinges of deep emerald and mottled browns and ochre splashed across nature’s lush carpet. Mesmerized, Ibrahim stood silently for a few moments trying to take in everything. An intense emotion crept through him, touching his soul deeply, he had seen a piece of heaven on earth, and wanted badly to share this beautiful moment with his wife.







The escarpment brought with it many physical and mental challenges, for some it was intimidating and threatening and their journey came to end there. The ground was dangerously steep and covered with rocks and thick vegetation that obstructed the way. He had to chop his way through the wilderness that lay untouched. Following the famous footsteps of the many explorers, missionaries and travellers before him, he sensed an appreciation towards their treacherous and life threatening mission, and admired their courage and enthusiasm. Ibrahim had relieved the donkey of some of its' load, as it was not accustomed to such precarious pathways. Higher up, loose boulders sometimes came crashing down on top of travellers, and at certain points, the track gave little room. The descent down posed many risks, being more vertically inclined, it required extreme caution and concentration to maneuver oneself safely across.





Italian prisoners of war built the Nakuru, Nairobi highway at a later stage. Tucked away in the corner of the escarpment was a quaint and most beautiful church. As a child, driving passed it, I would inform my father that I would get married there!





Ibrahim looked beyond to where Mt Longonot lay most splendidly on the rift valley floor. A volcanic mountain originally named ‘Oloonongo’t’ by the Maasai, meaning mountain of many spurs, rising up to 2,776 metres and bearing beautiful V-shaped valleys and ridges covered in forest. The surrounding land was a result of the rifting. It stood there towering over the Ol Karia hills.









Not far off in the distance, the shimmering waters of Lake Naivasha glistened as the sun reflected of its' surface. The beautiful freshwater lake, fringed by thick papyrus lay on the floor of the valley. Between 1937 and 1950 the lake was used as a landing place for plane passengers destined for Nairobi, who would then board a bus to Nairobi. Being that the lake holds freshwater, the surrounding soil is very fertile, and many of the early settlers farmed mainly fruit and vegetables around the shores. It was christened Lake Nai’posha by the Maasai, meaning rough water. (The British actually misspelt the name, as they did with other names, although sometimes, it was changed because of pronunciation difficulties).








Ibrahim took a moment to observe the feathery acacia trees with their wide spreading branches and flat tops. (Also called yellow fever trees, because early explorers and colonialists who usually slept near the trees broke out in a fever; and presumed that the trees were to blame, when in fact, it was malaria). He feasted his eyes on a great number of giraffe chewing the foliage, camouflaged perfectly amongst the light and shade of the branches. Black and white colobus monkeys swung energetically from branch to branch, their whisk-like tails sweeping through the air as they flung themselves with such unerring precision. A choir of hippos grunted abrasively sending him swift messages that he should not linger around longer than necessary.




He crossed paths with a group of English travellers who had thirty to fifty porters, heavily burdened with loads of ivory, hides, guns and food. Their donkeys trailed behind carrying water, and the remainder were ridden by a couple of men. They stopped and chatted, exchanging notes of their journey. The caravan of travellers were heading off to the next camp site. Camp sites were positioned along some routes, as were stations or forts. In total, 35 stations were located between Mombasa and Uganda, but these were open only to officials and European travellers.

Tribal warfares were many, and people were advised to respect any local tribesmen that they happened to come across. Ibrahim did encounter a few groups of local people, but they seemed unaffected by his presence.

Tiring greatly, he stopped to rest and enjoy the land. A small range of deep purple hills jutted out prominently against the sky line, forming a silhouette resembling a man's rested head that clearly projected an exaggerated long nose; it popularly adapted the title of,'Delamere's Nose.'



On reaching Gilgil, he met another group of people travelling to Nakuru; they were Indian transporters, who invited Ibrahim to join them for the last leg of the journey.
During World War One, in March 1947, the British set up an internment camp for Jewish prisoners of war who were members of the Irgun and Lehi Jewish underground organizations that had been deported from Palestine. The ‘Happy Valley’ set also lived in Gilgil, just north of Lake Naivasha. The elite social group became notorious for scandals of drug use and promiscuous sexual encounters.


Walking away from Gilgil, Lake Elementaita, a soda lake, (named ‘Muteita’ by the Maasai, another variation to its' spelling is Elementeita), lay in the eastern limb of East Africa's Great Rift Valley, about 120 km northwest of Nairobi. The lake was filled with flamingoes, Great White Pelicans and Great Crested Grebes. They viewed a variety of game from zebra, gazelle, eland and families of warthog that were abundant. Finally, they proceeded to Nakuru, thoroughly shattered, but looking forward to a journey's end.








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