Hidden Histories - Njoro
by Andrew Nightingale
" I loved Njoro from the first. There was a freshness in the air, an exhilarating sparkle
in the sunlight. To wake each morning to regard that great, spreading view across the
Rift, was a delight daily renewed."
- Elspeth Huxley
Njoro is a shambling little town set in the foothills of the Mau above Lake Nakuru. Driving through its streets it’s seems like any other up country agricultural town, but it isn’t. There’s something different about it, it is an old town hiding a fascinating history behind its modern day goats, clapped out tractors and reams of dust. Nobody would imagine that it was Lord Delamere’s ambition to turn Njoro into the capital of the Kenya/Uganda Protectorate, the hub of East Africa but it was not to be.
In 1904 Delamere received his first grant of land in the highlands to the north of Mile 464 of the newly completed railway. He was awarded a stretch of land between Njoro (so named from the massai word ol-corro meaning spring) and north to the Molo river which covered 100,000 acres. He called his land Equator Ranch. Here he laid the foundations of modern farming in East Africa, through trial, error, and tremendous financial risk. The local Maasai never grazed their livestock in the area as over time they withered away and died, anyone else who brought livestock in suffered the same misfortune. (It was later discovered that a total lack of colbalt was the trace mineral the herbivores were lacking, and once discovered was supplemented into their diet making future livestock farming possible).
Too far in to his investments to turn back, Delamere decided to invest in crops. He employed experts to experiment and cross breed disease resistant wheat and maize. The project became so vast that he set up a plant breeding station, and survived 4 years of trial error before he managed to cross breed a hybrid strain of wheat that was resistant to most disease. He harvested his first 300 acres in 1908.
Delamere was a property developer, he acquired land, invested in the infrastructure then sold off bits to finance his other plans of empire building. In this way he vetted and attracted other aristocratic settler families into the area. Firstly his brother in law, the Hon. Berkley Cole, then Lord Hindlip, Charles Clutterbuck came with their horses, and a rich Bostonian sportsman, Bill Sewall, shareholder of the Boma Trading Company that opened up the NFD. The money that accompanied these newcomers into the arena accelerated his plans for development.
In fact there was so much blue blood and money attracted to the area that the Njoro Country Club hosted Kenya’s first Air Rally from its airstrip in 1923. Signed photographs of King George VI and his wife Princess Elisabeth (the recently deceased Queen mum) adorn the club walls today.
Beryl Markham, early aviator was born and raised two miles up the hill from the Delamere’s farm, at a place now known as Klatabaki. This was so named after Beryl’s father Charles Clutterbuck, a very successful racehorse breeder. The railway siding where he had his posho mill is still standing. She planted a small arboretum in Njoro which is still there and represents the indigenous trees that she found in the Njoro area
Regular visitors to Njoro were Karen Blixen her husband Bror who would call on their close friends the Lindstrõms. She felt that ‘few places in the world are more lovely than Njoro’. Her lover Denys Finch-Hatton had built a house not far away on Gogar Farm in Rongai. Bror Blixen was always in debt and when his creditors were looking for him he would take refuge with Per Lindstrõm. As a favour to his friend, Per cut a dead straight track through the bush on the approach to his house so Bror could see his creditors coming, and make off into the forest behind the house before they caught up with him.
Njoro has an unusual layout which reflects its grand dreams of becoming the administrative capital of the Uganda Protectorate and British East Africa. Its disproportionately large Railway Station is the center where oversized streets for such a small town convene. In between these planned arteries the town is laid out on the American grid system. A huge town square enabled large trains of oxen to turn round without unshackling them.
I have not found out what turned the tables on Njoro’s high flying future, but I feel a number of factors came into play. Firstly the First Great War smashed the empire’s plans, shifted the Uganda Protectorate’s border’s and created a world-wide depression that lasted through the thirties. Development and cash flow stopped as the landed gentry attempted to live out the slump, and it wasn’t until after WWII that the colonies had their next boom in development. In this time Nairobi had matured into the thriving capital city of the Kenya Colony, and Njoro had hardly developed since the ’16-18 war
In the 1920’s a sporting associate of Delamere, Lord Egerton of Tatton decided to settle in the Kenya Colony and bought up vast tracts of land to put to the plough. One year on colonial leave in England he was introduces to and fell in love with an eligible young lady who informed him she was not going to Africa to live in a mud hut. Egerton promised her a proper castle, ballroom et al and spent so much time in this perfect construction for her she fell in love with someone else. Egerton never married and put his entire life and love into Kenya, creating an agricultural school next door to Delameres plant breeding center.
Today, Lord Delamere’s Plant Breeding Station can be credited with having produced the most popular seed varieties Kenyan farmers use today. Lord Egerton’s School of Agriculture has boomed and expanded on its own successive successes and is now a fully fledged University. His old residence Egerton Castle has recently had a huge amount of effort spent on it by the University, who are setting it up as a promising Museum of Agriculture; cleverly avoiding the colonial politics of the settler era while glorifying the blood sweat and tears that they expended in taming this country. Young Kenyans will be able to study past mistakes in farming practice and not repeat history setting our nation’s development back again.
Njoro still shrouds her fine successes, hiding the arboretum behind a line of Kiosks, filling its wide streets with all manner of jua kali enterprises. Njoro Country Club still holds its old world charm with its full size snooker table, its walls hung with portraits of settlers and Royals. Its golf course is well set along the banks of the Njoro River and the local bowling team stands well against the Nairobi teams.
Old settler houses that once graced the area are still dotted around, and visitors on a search for peace and solitude may find it within the bounds of Delamere’s “El Dorado,” his highland dream of Equator Ranch. Kembu Cottages and Campsite are set up on the slopes of the Mau less than two miles from where Delamere first got off the train and was carried down the hill on a litter to his two mud huts, the first steps of a lifetime’s quest.
Farmstay In Kenya
by Andrew Nightingale
When the “Lunatic Line” at last reached the shores of Lake Victoria, scores of adventurers traveled through the highlands of British East Africa, looking for a new life. Among these was the Fey family who found they were not officially allowed to own land and settle, until it had been surveyed by HM’s government. However they did find a loophole in the law, they were allowed to peg out a mining claim anywhere one saw fit to do so. In this way such ‘miners’ had to start farming to subsidize their ‘barren’ claims. This they did, until the government surveyor eventually put them on the map and they then officially became farmers.
The Second World War was an important time for the Kenya Colony settlers as large numbers of soldiers were brought in to join the Abyssinian campaign against the southbound Italian forces. Their own men folk were enlisted and drew a salary, leaving their wives and children to run the land. These female farmers were kept fully employed trying to meet the daily requirements of the army, and double income created by the war became a real boost to the country’s post depression economy.
By the end of 1939 there were tens of thousands of troops from Ghana, India, South Africa, Rhodesia and Britain all stationed in Kenya. This catchment of young men and women all had their allotted time for R&R, but not a huge amount of money to spend it on. The market for tourism in Kenya at that time was almost exclusively aimed at top income hunters and adventurers. People who wanted some excitement in their lives and had the money to get it, there was very little in the way of "rest and relaxation" available to this sudden demand.
Many farmers found themselves bombarded with house guests, and a few enterprising souls looked at this as a seriously commercial enterprise. Extra rooms were added and guest houses built to meet this influx of paying clientelle. This long line of guests fell in love with the Kenya highlands, the long views, the clean air, and the ideal climate. They did not need entertaining, and were happy just to unwind and make themselves ‘at home’.
They continued to return year after year - scheduled winter migrants, out to catch a nostalgic glimpse of yesteryear. Regular escapism from the rat race of modern technology. These ideals have not changed in today’s tourist and one feels that Kenyans should be capitalizing on our visitor’s historical roots and demands.
We use the word ‘Homestay’ for the up-market and very personal services associated with inviting a guest into your personal space. We have ‘Hotels and Lodges’ catering in bulk for the fast moving sightseer with limited time on their hands. On a national level we could be promoting the idea of a ‘Farmstay’, which does not necessarily incorporate the demands on a host’s personal time as the top end term ‘Homestay’. The consumers and providers need to define terms such as these with clear-cut meaning to differentiate the cost and service expectation.
Sometimes I think we have forgotten that tourism grew out of the leisure industry, and people need time to kick back and relax as well as stimulating themselves with a new activity. The main ‘relaxing’ image that Kenya sells is her beautiful coast, and almost every package offers the coast as their final relaxing destination. I am not saying this is wrong, but I feel Kenya is not competing with her main competitors the South Africans. In the media South Africa has an incredibly diverse set of offerings in climate and location. I know in Kenya we have far more in the way of natural diversity, all much closer together than they can ever hope to offer. Our weakness is that we have got fat on dated success stories that need to diversify to survive.
Drawing on my great grandparents experience, since their arrival in the country in 1906, of accommodating paying guests, we have found our guest cottage brings in far more than we could expect from a long-term tenant. We have been especially successful with family groups, both because of the high altitude (no malaria) and the space of being on a farm. There is a definite demand for accommodation that is not restricted to a sealed compound. It is not really safe to let your children out to play in a game park or ranch, but on a developed farm they can cycle up and down the road, feed the farm animals and enjoy many aspects of farm life. This is an age old proven success and we as an industry have not made space for it in our National portfolio.
There are many challenges with this small kind of enterprise, one being the expense associated with marketing a ‘low-end business’. Travel Agents, being reliant on percentile commissions do not push this end of the market, and in some cases actively avoid telling potential clients about such low cost self-catering options if they believe they could push a higher income sale/commission. That’s business, but this factor must be considered in marketing ‘Farmstay’. Looking through the back page classifieds of ‘Getaway’ it is easy to see that the South Africans have cashed in on a market that us Kenyan are largely ignoring. Are we shooting ourselves in the foot? How many other property owners in Kenya are interested in expanding this end of the market, and can we form an association to jointly market such accommodations? People in the developed world crave space in which to relax. Surely we can offer more than Hemmingway’s MBA.
Who would investigate this for the tourist industry? I believe airline companies could be the most immediate beneficiaries of another sector of tourism opening up in Kenya. Some are also in the ideal position to compare the South African and Kenyan tourist potential.
Relax at Kembu
Do next to nothing, cost next to nothing
We would all like to spoil ourselves every weekend. Families I know spent years trying to find somewhere special, to unwind, to relax, to entertain the kids. Somewhere that will suit all the family. Somewhere they don’t have to break the bank to visit regularly. Most will agree the coast is great but too far for a weekend. Game parks make for wonderful weekends away, but little children do not appreciate being stuck in either lodge or car, car or lodge. The top end hosted options are so entertaining (and expensive) that it is hard to relax and do nothing.
When I have a weekend away what do I want to do? Read my book, go for a walk with the family and basically have space to be there with each other, doing our own thing. A good friend recommended we try Kembu campsite, cottages and farmstay where there are a two privately placed cottages for rent. These he said were located among spacious and beautifully landscaped gardens on a large 900 acre farm where we could enjoy the freedom to do what we wanted. We could go for long walks, relax, let the kids run wild. Crisp clean air and ample space would make for an ideal family sojourn where our boys could burn up all their pent up energy. Besides, the wonderful high altitude climate meant there was no malaria.
After an easy Friday afternoons drive from Nairobi, we pulled into Kembu Campsite and were shown to our weekend home - Albizia Cottage, a quaint cedar bungalow built during the late twenties, which has been restored to a self-catering holiday home. A well-equipped kitchen, a lounge with a cozy fireplace and a spacious verandah (great in the morning sunshine) made for a homely setting. For our first evening we had organized for a hot meal. We were thrilled to find a piping hot lasagna waiting for us in the oven and the table set. It was no effort for us to ‘miraculously’ produce dinner. We all sat round the log fire well fed and comfortably relaxed, ‘till we were ready for bed.
I woke with the sun pouring through the bedroom window and the kids patter patter of feet as they played on the verandah. After breakfast Claire had organized to go and visit Lisa at her beauty salon next door for a full aromatherapy facial and work over. I stayed with the boys, who didn’t stay with me. We’d brought their pushbikes and they were off onto the farm exploring the area, so out came my book and the morning went. Woken up for lunch then siesta then tea. Later we went on the ‘farm walk’ offered free of charge from the campsite and I must say we really enjoyed it. Claire wouldn’t leave the horses and their foals, and the boys loved the milking parlor and then feeding the calves with a bucket and teat.
The walk finished in the campsite and we settled comfortably into the cozy bar built of cedar and black wattle tree trunks, and enjoyed an ice cold beer (and another), before moving back to the comfort of our new home. We had a barbeque set up for us in the garden and cooked some of Claire’s marinated steaks. Once the kids were in bed we left an askari on the verandah to get us if they woke up, and went back to the bar for a social drink (and another).
I felt that I’d had a perfect day. Kenana Farm is set on the north facing slopes of the Mau escarpment overlooking a magnificent view. The brilliant panorama from the farm includes Menengai Crater the hills and escarpments running either side of lakes Bogoria and Baringo - the east and west walls of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. The farm incorporates Kenya’s finest dairy herd of Friesian cattle, a race horse stud producing some of the most impressive yearlings in the country. This is interspersed with rolling fields of wheat and maize, their even symmetry broken by the occasional umbrella thorn tree, and long avenues of mighty eucalypts. The freshness and space was all that I needed.
On Sunday we drove half an hour down to Nakuru National Park and saw the most amazing amount of wildlife. I must agree with those who say Nakuru is one of the best of Kenya’s small parks. Against that indescribable backdrop of millions of flamingoes one sees such a variety of Kenya’s animals including a heartening number of rhino, white and black. We had a picnic lunch in the shade by Makalia Falls and returned to the cottage early evening.
Sitting round the fire again we realized how little we had done and how much more there was to do. The boys want to take their push bikes and cycle around Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Claire wants to go horse riding, I’d like to go exploring the area and get up to the Mau Forest when the dry season sets in. We certainly want to do more than we can in one weekend, and the enjoyable hours we spend exploring the wilds of this wonderful area will be all the more idyllic knowing there is a warm and inviting base awaiting our return.
We got up at six on Monday, bundled the sleepy family back into the car and drove back to Nairobi, tranquil, unwound, relaxed… …confident as Arnie saying "I’ll be back."
