The Mau Forest complex is our largest indigenous montane forest, or in layman’s terms, a forest that it is at a relatively high altitude! Welcome to Bomet, County 036, which lies at approximately 6400 feet above sea level, making the county a largely a cool climatic zone.
Did you know, that beyond being Kenya’s largest forest complex, the Mau Forest is responsible for many of the rivers that feed into Lake Victoria and beyond? Rivers emanating from the Mau include Southern Ewaso Ng’iro, Sondu River, Mara River and Njoro River. The area is the largest drainage basin in East Africa, cementing its place as the environmental foundation of our country. Initially gazetted in 1954, the Mau has been a protected area from the 1930s. While the complex lies across several counties, the southwestern portion sits squarely in County 036 rising from Tinet Forest.
A little lower down altitude-wise one comes across the lolling green hills of Bomet that provide its biggest cash earner – tea. Farming and processing take place across the county in places such as Cheptalal, Kaptebengwet, Mogogosiek with factories such as Kapkoros, Rorok, Kapset, Kobel
and many others providing farmers with access to funds that improve their livelihoods. This is chai country, through and through and if you’d like a vantage spot to gaze over the wonder that is all that amazing greenery, a short hike up Motigo Hill will allow you to enjoy the beauty of the rolling landscape that Bomet has to offer. Carry a picnic basket – it is what everyone else does – and enjoy a sundowner in nature’s realm.
Rounding off our exploration of Bomet is Tenwek, probably best-known for its excellent mission hospital, which enables thousands of Kenyans each year to benefit from high quality, relatively affordable health services. The Tenwek Hospital has roots stretching back as far as 1935. The mission received its first nurse in 1937 and from those humble beginnings, it is now a 300 bed teaching and referral hospital offering quality medical and surgical services to a catchment of almost 5 million people in south western Kenya. The hospital relies on hydropower, which is from the nearby Tenwek Falls. Check them out to see power in action! Legend has it a mythical animal resides in the caves below the falls.
Thanks Bomet – custodian of rivers and shared resources!
