Simbi Nyaima

Image credit: Malindi Kenya

In Kenya we have a number of folktales designed to teach us lessons or simply to tell us the story of how a place to be or the happenings in a specific place. There is the story of Kyalo and Mwilu that defines a magnetic hill in Machakos. There is the tale of Nayece and how she led the first Turkana people into the area named after them. Then, there’s the narrative of the village that submerged under a massive body of water in Homa Bay.

Within Homa Bay County is Karachuonyo Constituency where one may find the serene, picturesque Simbi Nyaima Lake. It’s not far from Kendu Bay which is one of the area’s access points into Lake Victoria, yet it is in no way linked to the larger lake. In fact, Simbi Nyaima sits awkwardly but quietly with a few scattered trees on its shoreline.

There have been reports previously compiled by geologists that suggest the reason for the scattered vegetation around the area is because of earthquakes that frequently happened centuries ago. One too many volcanic eruptions created a crater lake that locals would give the name Simbi Nyaima. But you’d dare not share this with one of the Homa Bay-rians because they’d have a folktale to share with you. You see Simbi Nyaima is a name that reminds some of the village that sunk. It is said that this village was one that enjoyed celebration with music, food and drink in abundance; almost every night was as we now say “party after party!” led by the then chief. On one of these festivities, a strange woman arrived seeking a warm meal and a place to lay her head for the night. It is assumed that she may have appeared to be a peasant what with her tattered clothes that were covered in dust. The chief was informed of a stranger hoping to be welcomed into the village but he sent her away. She pleaded once more, but these cries fell upon deaf ears. When she could no longer try, she returned just as she had come, but lurking around the area was a young woman who had overhead the woman’s humble request and felt compassion for her. The young woman secretly invited the stranger into her home and shared her food and provided her a place to sleep. The stranger promised to leave before dawn so that no one would see her. When morning came but the skies were still dark, she thanked her host and before she left, she warned the young woman to leave the village. The stranger said she would send the heaviest rains the village would see and there was no telling what the outcome would be. After this, she left.

True enough, a few days later, it rained and rained and rained, flooding the entire village. It kept raining until eventually the entire village sank beneath the waters. These waters, now Simbi Nyaima Lake, are not just a tourist attraction presently, they are also a haven for flamingoes that fly in from lakes within the Rift Valley. Some of the residents of the area also believe that this #KeLake has some medicinal and nourishing benefits as some drink from or bathe in the water and find themselves cured of a variety of ailments.

Simbi Nyaima. What do you know about it? Have you been – and when?