Some may say the night he was born foretold his future. When he was born on 10th October 1954, Amos Ndegwa’s family lived in a small homestead on the outskirts of modern-day Aberdares National Park. It was the height of the State of Emergency and his mother had been a farmworker on a pyrethrum farm until the family was herded like thousands more into the concentration camps that dotted the country.
From the camp, his mother would creep out to Kimathi’s Post Office, the huge tree known only to Mau Mau and their sympathisers, to leave bundles of food for the freedom fighters hiding deep in the forest. But then came the night of Amos’ birth, 10th October 1954, and in the middle of the Aberdares a structure was burning – it was Treetops, the lodge made famous two years earlier when Princess Elizabeth visited and went up as a princess and came down the following day as Queen of England after her father died as she slept deep in the forest.
Amos grew up in turbulent times but enjoyed the life of any young Kenyan boy, herding livestock, chasing chickens, attending school. It was his chicken action that gave a hint to his future. He would hit them unerringly with maize cobs, killing the hapless birds with one shot. His mother warned him to never hit her cows or goats for fear of his uncanny aim. In 1974, while still a young man, Amos went to witness the recruitment of administration police in his locality.
Watching from the crowd, he was surprised when a recruiter called him out and told him to walk up and down. It seemed his frame and natural bearing was that of a soldier and without further ado he found himself part of the disciplined forces! By 1975 he had risen to fame as the second-best sharpshooter in the brigade, training diligently at Stony Athi Range. Ten years later he made the decision to move on from the armed forces, and when he announced that he wanted to retire, he was summoned and questioned by his supervisors. After all, top shooters were not just allowed to quietly retire in those days. With a promise to hang up his shooting skills he was finally allowed to retire and go on his way.
Amos found himself chasing another path as he signed up to be a tour guide criss-crossing northern Tanzania and southern Kenya, sharing his innate knowledge of animals with visitors from near and far. The job kept him busy for years, until he heard his mother was ailing and it was back to the hills of Nyeri he went. He worked in Nyeri town for a few years until one day he heard that Outspan Hotel was looking for a driver.
Amos reported for the interview and in no time was snapped up. It was 1992 and as luck would have it, just two weeks later he heard that the resident hunter in Outspan’s sister hotel, Treetops, was retiring. Amos pondered his luck and decided to bring out the certificate that he had carefully kept hidden since leaving the uniformed forces. He shared his credentials – tour guide, sharpshooter, child of the Aberdares – and they proved perfect. His new colleagues were amazed that the two-week old driver was moving right up the ranks to Resident Hunter, Treetops Lodge.
For over 26 years, Amos Ndegwa Ndiu has served as the Resident Hunter of one of Kenya’s most iconic tourist spots. He has hosted royalty and world leaders. He has shared his deep knowledge of the forest in addition to the chequered history of the area. It’s a position his mother, the Mau Mau supporter, would have never imagined he could have – an African with a gun; but then again, it’s exactly what she put her life on the line for.
