Places in History - Gakere Road

The busy Gakere Road in Nyeri named after Ngunju Wa Gakere who was arrested and later executed at Muranga as a war criminal.

The Story....
Also Known as Chief Gakere wa Nyingi of Tetu, the valiant fighter was the gatekeeper at the edge of the Aberdare Forest covering the entry from the route leading from Naivasha acrros the Aberdare ranges into the Nyeri Valley. A very prominent Hero after Wang'ombe Wa Ihura in the Nyeri Valley. His homestead was deep inside the thick Aberdare forest far beyond the moat, a natural habitat with lots of birds to the extent Gakere called it Kiuganyoni.

He resisted Meinertzahen for three days and was only vanquished and captured after Nderi Wan’gombe and his lackeys combined forces with 200 Maasai spearmen from Nairobi.

The busy Gakere Road in Nyeri town. The road is named after Ngunju wa Gakere who was arrested and later executed at Murang’a as a war criminal. He resisted Meinertzahen for three days and was only vanquished and captured after Nderi Wan’gombe and his lackeys combined forces with 200 Maasai spearmen from Nairobi
Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?id=2000042570&cid=259&articleID=2000042570

Beautiful Accomodations in Nyeri - Sandai

 This beautiful place is located about 24km from Nyeri town. 30 minutes to get there. There is always a great feeling associated with travelling through the mountainous regions of Central province. We attribute this to the clean unspoiled air that still exists here

 The scenery that greets you here is beautiful. It gives you the feeling of  'owning' a bit of the world. You just want to come out of the vehicle and run or sing or be a bird and fly

 The most interesting thing when we arrived were the horses. It quickly entered our minds that a horse safari would be a great way to enjoy any adventure. Too used to being in a vehicle, this would offer a great alternative to any fun loving person. So we decided we would get up close and personal. They told us that it did not matter if you were a beginner or an experienced rider. In the end it would leave you asking for more

Then came our little surprise. The animals. Okay I know you would like to tell us that you have seen them on many occasion but this close and with them looking so tame and peaceful and loving ...I swear I could see in their eyes though this one had chosen to quickly give me a parting shot

 
maybe it was the Zebras fault but they did look peaceful and beautiful and that was whispered to the wind
there is something beautiful and timeless about buildings that look like this. They often times seem to fit just right in with the environment. This one did
 

The homely atmosphere is what got us first. And the painting on the walls was just fantastic. Some of us wanted to sit right there and sink into the chairs.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes you let the picture speak its thousand words. For us it was simply Beautiful

 

 

Lovely space outside one of the bungalows that offers you a beautiful view of Mt.Kenya.

The cottages are equipped comfortably. The kitchen and the dining room are situated in the main building, where you will enjoy your meals together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 and a kids corner

 
They have cottages too that can accommodate up to 6 people.The cottages are fully equipped with a stove, fridge, cooking utensils, bedding and towels.

Beautiful up close and personal

 

 

In Conclusion as we enjoyed our beautiful sunset and reminisced about this day, it was a unanimous decision that this comfortable farmhouse  surrounded by indigenous flora and interesting animals. with a homely and relaxing atmosphere, and a range of activities, had passed the test of beautiful, affordable, comfortable and simply Amazing.

This place in Nyeri - Seremwai

Seremwai, is situated in the former King'ong'o ridge that was a famous battle field for Gikuyu and Maasai .
The Story begins...
John Carberry, was born John Evans-Freke in 1892 and become the 10th Baron Carbery, inheriting the title during childhood...for some personal reason, he took a dislike to his country of origin...He moved to Kenya , In 1920  and bought 650 acres in Kenya, then a British colony, to develop a coffee plantation.He also dropped his title and changed his name to John Evans Carberry (inserting an extra 'r' in the family name). His coffee plantation was called Seremai, meaning  ‘the place of death’ in Maasai , and which was the scene of an ancient battle.

The Carbery farmhouse at Seremai was a single-storey grey-stoned building with a cedar bark shingle roof surrounded by a coffee plantation, black servants and tame wild animals, including chimps and cheetahs, who lived on the estate

 it also had breathtaking views of Mt.Kenya in the front yard, the Aberdare ranges on the side of the house and the whole of Nyeri seen from the back porch. With its well-groomed gardens, Seremai provided the semblance of English country-house living in an equatorial climate.

 in 1982 Isaiah Mathenge purchased the coffee farm and named it SereMwai estate. He corrupted the name and put in his middle name Mwai to read SereMwai.

 
The original house built by John Carberry Still stands to date in a quiet and serene environment. Very lonely. Currently boarded up and with a dark basement. But standing here one can only imagine of the once vibrant house it was with all its occupants over the years
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

                                                                                           

This place in Nyeri- Nyeri Museum

Ruringu Museum, formerly known as Kiama court  still remains in good shape. It was built in 1924 by the British Government and initially operated as an African (native) court dealing mainly with customary and criminal issues that were previously handled by clan elders in the village.

 Initially the British guided the officers in the proceedings but later the system was left entirely in the hands of the local people, with the British Government only playing a supervisory role.

As the fight for independence gained momentum, the court also started trying some Mau Mau freedom fighters though there was a rule that they could not be mixed with other offenders to prevent any form of interaction between different groups.

 Instead of using the bible here, they swore while tapping on the goat of a head with a hollow stick so that if they were lying an ancestral curse would befall them.

Among the documented elders appointed at the court, there was a Mr. Mathias Kiragu from Othaya who was head of pregnancy and debt-related cases and Mr. Johana Kunyiha from Ruringu who was head of criminal cases such as theft and murder.

 The court also employed njama - who were security officials who ensured that there was security around the court and that the accused people did not escape. They were also responsible for sending summons and they were sent sometimes to collect property from homes of those who had not paid their debts or poll tax.

this hall also served as a meeting hall for the then Local Native Council which is currently reffered to as the county council of Nyeri. With time however, the British Government introduced modern law courts and employed magistrates, interpreters and clerks to deal with increasing criminal cases.

 

 
The National Museums of Kenya took over the court building, which had been used by churches and various groups from 1961.
 
it still has some of the historic items used by the former court such as the chairs used by the elders

 

 
 
 

 

 
 

                                                                                     

Water and Deep places- lake Baringo

Lake Baringo is at the threshold of Northern Kenya, and its freshwaters are an oasis in the arid plains.

This is the traditional home of the Njemps tribe, a unique people who are the only pastoral, cattle herding, tribe who also fish. Among other pastoral tribes such as the Maasai, eating fish is a taboo.

The 129 sq km lake is well stocked with fish, and attracts many Pelicans, Cormorants and Fish Eagles. The Lake is also well populated with Crocodile.

The lake itself is truly beautiful, surrounded by volcanic ranges that stretch as far as the eye can see.

At the lakes heart is Ol Kokwe Island, a stark rocky island that is home to Njemps villages and a well appointed camp. This is an excellent base for exploring the lake, with boat trips ideal for bird and hippo spotting.

Baringo is an ideal stopover on a safari to Northern Kenya.

 Oloi Travels took the time to go to Baringo. it was hot at this time of the year to the point some rivers were so dry and you could see the effects of not planting trees but then we got to the lake. it was beautiful

 From the islands in the distance to the thought of the very sheer depth of this beautiful water body

 and then we noticed something, the water levels here were rising too. The locals claim there was an earthquake sometime back and then the rivers in the Rift Valley started to rise.....

 i covered houses and trees but there was this fellow who decided to brave the crocodiles, depth and hippos to show us how to swim across Deep places

 and then the boat ride along the shores

the cute bird in the middle of the water...can you name it?

at this point there was the serious look out for a crocodile and a hippo which appeared next to the boat....the thrill

 the guide claimed that this was once a three storey building submerged by the rising waters. The anger of nature is so overwhelming

Beautiful photos

Lots of birds attributed to the fish that breed here





Beautiful photography for remembering a time well spent