Bountiful Trans Nzoia

It is a beautiful sunny day, Chani and her mother have been playing the game,  ride the waves at the White Sand Beach where they are on holiday. They are both worn out and as they walk home, her mom comments, “This beach sand reminds me of how dusty it is at the posho mill shop.” 

As her mom reminisces, she continues to explain to Chani that as a young girl, part of going to the posho mill was an opportunity for her and her friends to spend time together.

“What is the posho mill shop?”Chani asks.

“It is where the maize is ground into flour,” Mum answers.

“Where did the maize come from?” Chani asks.

“Kitale in Trans Nzoia county, where most of the maize in Kenya comes from. It is known as the food basket of Kenya,” her mother replies.

Chani’s mom continues to explain that besides food, Trans Nzoia county was where the first inland Museum of Kenya was built. It was first called the Stoneham Museum after its founder who was British. The name later changed to Kitale Museum.

As they arrive home and start cleaning off their sandy feet, Chani continues with the questions.

“What does the museum hold?” Chani asks.

“Just insects and books authored as early as 1894 from Stoneham’s home library. ” Her mother replies.

“Eeeuuuu insects,” Chani says making a face that shows she clearly isn’t a fun of bugs. Her mother laughs and says, “ ok let me tell you something else about Trans Nzoia that’s not eeeuuu.

Chani’s mother tells her about the Saiwa Swamp which is home to the endangered animal Sitatunga. The Sitatunga is a swamp-dwelling antelope endemic to marshy areas, and in Kenya, it is only found in the Saiwa swamp. It is endangered because people have killed it for meat and its horns.

“Then why don’t we move them to national parks and forests instead of living in swamps where they can be found and killed?” Chani wonders.

“We can’t.  You see, the Sitatunga has long splayed hooves and can only live in swampy and marshy areas.” Mother explains.

“ We need a better way to protect them, maybe a digital tracker to keep them safe,” she suggests. “That’s a great idea we can log onto the Kenya wildlife services website and put that in their suggestion box,” mother says encouragingly.

They both agreed that they would do so after dinner. With dinner time around the corner, mother and daughter headed to the kitchen to cook.