Town that attracted colonial big-game hunters

And the Lord said: For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills — Psalms 50:10.

The Maasai also believe that all the cattle upon a thousand hills came from heaven and belong to them.

About three kilometres to the west of Maai Mahiu town, along Naivasha Road, is a dusty track that was the old road to Narok town. The road snaked below Mt Longonot through the open plain past Suswa which featured a unique, fine volcanic ash soil.

When you returned from Narok in those days, the dust on your car, your hair, eyebrows and shoes said exactly where you had been.

Just past Suswa is a rest stop known as Ilkeek Ari (Two Trees) where travellers stopped to shake off the dust. It was a convenient resting place being about half way to Narok and also gave drivers the opportunity to check their vehicles before the steep climb up to Nairage Enkare (Place of Water).

When buses were introduced on this route in the 1950s a forty gallon drum filled with water to replenish the thirsty radiators was standard equipment. The next stop was Seiyapei where the African Inland Mission from America had set up a mission station in 1918 on the banks of the Seiyapei River.

Eight kilometres further south is Enkare Narok (Black Water) the river that Narok town derives its name from.

The early (pre-1900) big game hunters knew that Narok was the gateway to where the Big Five were to be found in abundance. This is the area known today as the Maasai Mara. As early as 1898, European trophy hunters had organised very elaborate expeditions into this area.

In view of the strategic significance of Narok, a permanent bridge was built across the river in the early 1900s.

A staging camp quickly developed on the banks of the river and Indian traders retiring from building the railway line set up shop to serve the visitors. A number of Somalis and Nubians who had served as porters and “askaris” with the King’s African Rifles also settled here in search of livelihoods.

One of the most lavish hunting expeditions was that of retired President Theodore Rosevelt in 1909.

The Maasai people coexisted peacefully with wild animals and they could not understand why these visitors were massacring wildlife but they were powerless against the intruders with their powerful guns which could fell even the mighty jumbo.

Strategic importance

During World War 1, Narok acquired a new strategic importance as the British engaged in the “East African Campaign” against the Germans who were in control of Tanganyika. The border with Tanganyika was about 200kms away and Narok was an easy entry point into the heart of Kenya.

The British set up a barrier and military camp in Narok from where they repulsed German attempts to infiltrate Kenya. An administration centre was also established at Narok.

As World War 1 progressed the British forced all able bodied Africans to work or be enlisted in the King’s African Rifles. To avoid this, Johnstone Kamau (Jomo Kenyatta) moved to Narok to live among the Maasai where he worked as a clerk.

The building in which he worked was knocked down about four years ago. It was while he was in Narok that he started wearing a beaded belt known as “Kenyatta” given to him by the Maasai.

In 1922, after returning to Nairobi, he would change his name to Jomo Kenyatta influenced by his stay in Maasailand. During the 1920’s Narok became a famous centre for the hides and skins business and more traders joined in the fray.

Romanticised by the likes of reknown American author Ernest Hemingway in the 1930s, big game hunting in Africa continued to grow and the Maasai Mara became famous worldwide. Alongside, there was another expanding group of visitors who preferred to shoot with the camera rather than with the gun like their counterparts, giving birth to the tourist industry as we know it today.

Many luxury tented camps and eventually lodges sprung up within the park to cater for these more discerning guests. In 1939, the Government Maasai School was established in Narok town.

The school catered for local residents and students from Ngong and even as far away as Nyeri. During Word War 11 Italian prisoners of war built a small barracks for the British military in Narok town. In the meantime, Narok District had become a popular farming destination with individual farmers leasing land from the Maasai.

The settler community leased large tracts of land to farm wheat and barley. Kenya Breweries established a large experimental barley farm in Mau Narok for their requirements.

The Maasai are pastoralists and they had a very regal social structure. The men considered manual work to be for “lesser mortals”. Although Narok was a closed district, other communities saw the gap and quickly came in under the “pass” system to provide manual labour.

Today Narok town is one of the most ethnically diverse urban centres in Kenya.

Detention camp

In a move reminiscent of Jomo Kenyatta, some Kikuyus fled to hide amongst the Maasai in Narok during the State of Emergency declared in 1952. Unfortunately for them, the British were wise to this maneuvre and many of them were arrested and detained.

The cells where the Mau Mau were detained still exist today just below the Police lines in Narok town. There was a detention camp at Nairage Enkare 30kms from Narok where more detainees were held but it has since been demolished.

As can be observed Narok town and its environs are steeped in well documented history of Kenya. Although there is a branch of the National Museums of Kenya in the town, which itself could do with some sprucing up, only one site, so far, has been gazetted as a national monument, namely the Italian Barracks.

Attempts to gazette the old colonial prison where Mau Mau detainees were held have proved unsuccessful due to political interference. The old colonial bridge still stands as does the old Asian school and Ole Sankale School (old Government Maasai School).

There are other sites inside and outside of Narok town such as the Murumbi mausoleum at Kilgoris, the Seiyapei missionary graveyard, the General ole Kisio massacre point, the Naisoya colonial historical site among many others.

We need to protect and preserve these sites for the posterity of our country Kenya.