Ndege News - March 2020

ndege March - May 2020 | www.ndegenews.com

NEWS

AIRKENYA EXPRESS, AEROLINK UGANDA & REGIONAL AIR INFLIGHT MAGAZINE

Under the Seven Sisters

At Loisaba Lodo Springs

Secrets in The Forest From Meru National Park’s Rhino River Camp

Hardships of the Hunt:

How Cheetahs Struggle to Obtain Prey

Sacred Trees

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www.airkenya.com www.regionaltanzania.com www.aerolinkuganda.com

PY CO WAY R A U YO AKE T O T NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 1

Nairobi Arboretum Nairobi’s richest living collection of trees

In the days of old when trains used wood-fired steam engines, foresters in Kenya became concerned that indigenous trees that the railway relied on were getting depleted faster than they could regenerate. They needed to find other tree species that could grow fast enough to meet the railway’s fuel needs…

Established as a trial site for exotic tree species in 1907, the 30-hectare Nairobi Arboretum now hosts the richest collection of exotic and indigenous tree species in Nairobi. The arboretum also has over 100 species of migrant and resident bird species in addition to sykes and vervet monkeys.

Located off state house road, approximately 2km from the city centre, the arboretum is good for individuals seeking to learn about trees, watch birds, enjoy serene moments within the forest or walk along its trails. The Central Lawn and other areas are available for your special events.

Kenya Forest Service Tel: (254) 020-3754904/5/6, (254) 020-2020285 Fax: (254) 020-2385374 P.O Box 30513-00100 Nairobi Email: info@kenyaforestservice.com 2 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

www.kenyaforestservice.org

W: www.lakebogoria-hotel.com

Lake Bogoria Spa Resort

@BOGORIAHOTEL

Lake Bogoria Spa Resort

inside

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MARCH - MAY 2020

REGULAR 03

Welcome Note

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Word From the Editor

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Airkenya News Update

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News Update

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Climate Change

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Dates for your Diary

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FEATURES

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24 Cultural immersion awaits you at Emburara farm Lodge 26 Under the Seven Sisters: At Loisaba Lodo Springs 30 Hardships of the Hunt: How Cheetahs Struggle to Obtain Prey 36 Secrets of The Forest 40 Sacred Trees 44 Travel Memoirs of 2019

REVIEW 48 The Expat News Reporter

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WELCOME NOTE

Welcome on board Greetings!! We welcome you aboard your preferred Airline for the East African Safaris hoping that you will have a memorable experience with Airkenya Express, Regional Air Tanzania and Aerolink Uganda.

This year, we have structured enough for success and achievement, we have embraced flexibility, creativity, as we continually improve our services and you are bound to feel some level of fun and excitement as you fly with us. Our staff is committed to providing you prompt, courteous, and quality customer service.

In an effort to ensure safety and security for our staff and customers at all times, our experienced staff are professionally trained in all aspects such as Engineering, Quality, Finance and Administration, Marketing, Customer care, and technical skills among others. Our employees have a positive attitude towards work and understand that life is not about expecting, hoping and wishing; it's about doing, being and becoming.

As we tear a leaf off a calendar, we present a new opportunity for ideas by creating a conducive and healthy work environment for employees in all cadres.

Employees and their supervisors work together to plan, monitor, and review their performance, work objectives and overall contribution to the organization. We at Airkenya and the subsidiaries believe that circumstances don’t determine where you go; they merely

determine where you start. We start HERE!!!

We are always on the lookout for talented and passionate individuals to join our growing team. If you are an exceptional candidate who thrives on innovation and excellence, are looking to take your career to the next level, and you have an aviation industry background or knowledge, you should consider contacting us.

For a period of more than10 years, Airkenya Express, our subsidiaries, our stake holders and employees have participated in giving back to the community socially, economically and environmentally through Corporate Social Responsibility Activities.

Among our projects we have: a) Partnered with the Maasai Community by building The Emarti Primary School at the Maasai Mara proudly and fully sponsored by Airkenya Express. b) Partnered with Waithaka Taekwondo Club in their strife to Changing the community through Taekwondo Sport through children and youth. Training body and mind towards living a healthier and fulfilling life away from any kind of drugs or abuse of the same. c) Partnered with The Samburu Water Project, to fight the world water crisis by supporting TSP work with flights to this remote, beautiful Samburu region.

In addition we also have internship and apprenticeship programmes with input from students specializing in various fields.

Getting an employee to understand their personal brand is what our culture entails. We let employees make their work interesting, recognize them for doing a good job, and let them in on things that are going on in the company.

We appreciate and value best performers. As part of our culture too, we encourage our customers to also give us feedback that will enable us continually improve and render the best services. Our staff rewards are always in the exact proportion of services rendered.

We believe and value our customers and that is why we always endeavor to provide the best services.

We believe that “to whom much is given, much is required;”Your support means the world to us!

Thank you for your support, hope you travel again with us in future…

Phylis Wanyoike Human Resource Officer Airkenya Express Limited

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 5

WORD FROM THE EDITOR

Karibu

Editor Rupi Gill Publisher The Business Platform Ltd P O Box 103364-00101, Nairobi.

Tel: 254-20-3587879 / 722-770367 Email: info@businessplatform.co.ke Advertising Peter Ondabu Cell: 0722-770367/ 0736-375111 ondabupeter@gmail.com Design and Layout Digital Colour Business Ltd. digitalcolourbusiness@gmail.com NDEGE which means aeroplane in Kiswahili is a quarterly Magazine publication of AIRKENYA Express Limited

Whilst we do not break the ice by talking about the weather here customarily, I find myself wanting to make some comment on the incredulous nature of our times.

This is usually our hottest, dustiest season, yet we are still feeling the freshness of the air even in the arid, northern and humid, central conservancies of Kenya. Everywhere is verdant and wildlife exuberant.

In this issue we went off the beaten track, looking for the remote but also the romantic. From the abundant jungles of Meru to the infinite stars of the night sky over Loisaba; and with Harriet Akinyi to travels stored

in the many layers of our memories, to be shared around campfires what’s not to love?

Mark Smeltz our newest contributor, gives us an intimate look at Cheetahs. As we bring you not just closer but right into the spirit of nature itself, do sit back, relax and merge with your experiences. I cannot think of anything else that would give me more joy.

Wishing you many happy journeys this year.

Rupi Gill Editor

Wilson Airport P.O. Box 30357 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Reservations Tel: (254-20) 391 6000 Email: resvns@airkenya.com The magazine focuses on tourism, hospitality, travel, leisure and aviation related news in the East African region and beyond.

The views expressed in NDEGE NEWS Magazine do not necessarily reflect those of either AIRKENYA EXPRESS, REGIONAL AIR SERVICES and / or AEROLINK UGANDA. © 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without permission from the Publisher.

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COVER PHOTO © RUPI GILL

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Fly with AEROLINK from Entebbe to Kihihi, Mweya and Kasese

3x Daily

For Booking Contact: +256 317 333 000 info@aerolinkuganda.com www.aerolinkuganda.com

AIRKENYA NEWS UPDATE

At the Top Summit - Mount Kenya This was a once in a life time changing experience. Mt. Kenya is the 2nd highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro with three main peaks (Batian, Lenana and Nelion).

Lenana summit being 16359 feet, and has a temperature of -4 degrees. Among my peers, few have ventured into this expedition.

Extraordinarily, Batian Peak is 4000 feet above normal cruising height for a Cessna caravan! Its ragged series of peaks are crowned with snow, and its slopes are thick with forest.

The mountain is best seen at dawn.

We started day 1 at Sirimon gate.

The Sirimon route is an accessible and enjoyable hiking route on Mount Kenya and well within the capabilities of fit hill walkers, offering a varied trek from the cultivated lowlands, through unique glaciersculpted alpine heath and up to

I

m-

8 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

jagged volcanic peaks and glistening glaciers near the peak of Point Lenana. Below our itinerary Day 1 - Nairobi - Sirimon 8727 feets (2,660m) Sirimon to Old Moses 10826.77feets (3,300m) covering 9Km 2230feets ascent. Spend the night at Old Moses Campsite.

Day 2 - Old Moses to Shipton Camp 13779.53feets (4,200m) 14Km, 2952 feet ascent.

Day 3 - Shipton to Lenana 16354.99 feet(4,985m) 6km , 2575 feet ascent. The trick and an interesting psychological concept is when from shipton to summit we had to arise at 1am for anyone not to see when climbing otherwise no one would attempt due to steepness which could have mentally challenged us.

I could only imagine the route when Descending and no one could

believe we made it to that rocky steep climb. Almost to the peak there are nice natural lakes .

Day 4 - Old Moses to Sirimon Gate and depart for Nairobi with a stopover at Nanyuki Town.

Interesting moments is taking a photo on the summit next to the well kept current constitution of Kenya and the National flag but the cold could only accommodate us for not more than 20 min at the summit.

I would say this was indeed a nice experience: four days without a shower, upward trekking covering around 60km. I look forward to trying Mt. Kilimanjaro!

EDWARD G. MUNGAI Engineering Quality Manager Airkenya Express Limited

AIRKENYA NEWS UPDATE

Will Smith Flies with Regional Air Regional Air a sister company to Airkenya Express and Aerolink Uganda recently flew Will Smith, world renowned American actor and rapper from Hollywood.

Smith has won four Grammy Awards and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards.

Will Smith was on holiday in Tanzania’s world renowned wildlife sanctuary, the Serengeti National Park.

The Serengeti is miles of savannah housing 500 bird species, crocodile and hippo populated rivers that are crossed by the wildebeest during the great migration; and the biggest population of lions in Africa.

The Sarit Tourism Expo Enjoy discounted tickets sale at the new Sarit Expo Centre, Stand No. 22. See you there on 25th-29th March 10th- 13th April – The Easter Weekend – Flights are open for bookings

+254 20 3916000

resvns@airkenya.com / marketing@airkenya.com

www.airkenya.com

AIRKENYA NEWS UPDATE

Airkenya Overhauls one of its Three Twin Otters (The de Havilland Canada DHC-6) We are proud to update our customers, and our Partners on one of our success stories – upgrading the condition of our equipment.

Last year we embarked on a journey to recondition one of our Twin Otter equipments – 5Y PJP, a journey that took our dedicated Engineering, Maintenance, Safety and Quality team about 3.5 months to complete.

We would like to commend our members of staff

10 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

from various departments on the job well done, to see this project through.

For you our customers, we want to thank you for your continued support and we promise to endeavour to deliver quality and safe transportation between the various destinations that you need going to.

The remodelled Twin otter now offers you, comfortable and luxurious feel, check it out!

NEWS UPDATE

World’s urban mining to go greener

For decades, industrialised countries have disposed of huge quantities of e-waste by exporting it to developing regions such as West Africa. Agbogbloshie in Ghana used to be an area of wildlife and natural beauty. Today, it is the world’s largest dumpsite for used electronic goods from Europe and beyond.

Impoverished families work in toxic and hazardous conditions to recycle e-waste materials manually, which is inefficient and often dangerous.

E-waste is a surprisingly rich alternative to traditional mining – just one tonne of e-waste contains more gold than 17 tonnes of ore – and is achieving rapid cost reductions through improvement of technologies, collection systems and growing economies of scale.

As many as 17 different metals can be extracted from e-waste, including silver, platinum, copper, tin and antimony[4]. There is also plenty of it, with the United Nations University estimating that annual e-waste is set to more than double by 2050[5].

Volkswagen is building a battery recycling plant that

will support the carmaker’s goal of recycling 97 per cent of raw materials in end-of-life EV battery packs – up from 53 per cent today.

Apple has a goal of making all of its products from recycled materials. The California technology company has even piloted robotic tools to help disassemble iPhones.

Virus postpones biodiversity meeting

This year all eyes will be on China’s conservation leadership. In October 2020, the city of Kunming in southwest China will host the UN Biodiversity Conference. This particular conference is especially important as the 196 countries that have signed the international treaty will evaluate the last 10-year strategic plan and agree on a new global framework for the next decade. Themed “Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth,” the conference will set out priorities for global investment in biodiversity for 2020-2030.

China is expected to showcase the impact of nature-based solutions to address global challenges.

However, a preparatory meeting due to convene in Yunnan province in February, has been relocated to Rome as the coronavirus epidemic grips China.

There’s something ironic in the coronavirus derailing a talk on biodiversity. The new virus—much like its sister diseases, SARS and MERS—is suspected of originating in animals and crossing over to humans as we encroach further on wild ecosystems.

"We are coming into contact with species of wildlife and their habitats that we were not with before," Dr. Ben Embarek of the WHO's department of nutrition and food safety said.

Temperature testing of travellers is taking place at many ports, including Wilson airport to enable early detection.

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 11

NEWS UPDATE

Locust plague in East Africa Swarms of deadly desert locusts entered Uganda on Sunday after having ravaged several parts of Kenya, causing food shortages.

Locust plagues occur intermittently in the Horn of Africa, but this invasion is the worst in 25 years, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

If unchecked, locust numbers could grow 500 times by June.

There have been six major desert locust plagues in the 1900s, the last of which was in 1987-89. The last major upsurge was in 2003-05.

The invasion had come after a year of extremes which included eight cyclones off East Africa, the most in a single year since 1976.

Originating at the India-Pakistan border, the locusts migrated into Somalia and Ethiopia and destroyed nearly 71,000 hectares of farmland in the two countries. Hundreds of millions of the voracious insects have swept across Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya in what the U.N. has called the worst outbreak in a quarter of a century, with Uganda, Eritrea and Djibouti also affected.

Desert locusts can live for up to five months, depending on the weather and local conditions. They can lay eggs that hatch after two weeks, with the locusts maturing to adulthood in two to four months on average.

Ugandan Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda held an emergency meeting which resolved to deploy 2,000 soldiers to the region on Monday.

The state will also provide manual and motorised spray pumps to fight the locusts.

The locusts migrated from Kenya's Turkana and Samburu areas, entering Uganda via northwest Pokot district in Kenya, where they had destroyed hundreds of acres of vegetation and have started 12 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

destroying vegetation in Uganda.

Meanwhile Tanzanian authorities on Sunday refuted rumours that swarms of desert locusts have invaded the northern region of Kilimanjaro close to the border with Kenya.

Japhet Hasunga, the Minister for Agriculture, said agricultural experts have been dispatched on the Tanzania-Kenya border to monitor any invasion of the locusts that have devastated farm crops and vegetation in the neighbouring country.

This was due to a warmer western Indian Ocean, a climate condition known as the Indian Ocean Dipole which has conversely led to severe drought in Australia that is experiencing its own extremes: bushfires, hail and dust storms.

One expert at the press conference in Nairobi had to reassure attendees that the locust invasion following the drought and floods was not a portent of the biblical "end of times".

However, if the locusts are not brought under control by the start of the next planting and rainy season -- typically around March -- farmers could see their crops decimated.

While farmers were relatively lucky as their crops had already matured or been harvested by the time they arrived, herders face another heavy blow as vegetation for their animals is consumed by the voracious locusts.

Pastoralists were just emerging from three years of drought, recovery from a dry spell usually takes them up to five years.

Now, the United Nations is to test drones equipped with mapping sensors and atomisers to spray pesticides in parts of east Africa battling an invasion of desert locusts that are ravaging crops and exacerbating a hunger crisis.

Experts say the scale of the infestation is beyond local capacity as desert locusts can travel up to 150 km (95 miles) in a day.

NEWS UPDATE

Lionscapes

The lion is an indicator species: Those in healthy populations often correlate to healthy landscapes, which typically provide a range of benefits not only to human communities but to other species of flora and fauna. Healthy landscapes maintain essential water sources, support food security, mitigate climate change, and create resilience to flooding and other weatherrelated events.

Lionscapes or areas in which lions are thriving offer a larger than average share of: • direct benefits such as water and food security • supporting services such as photosynthesis, soil formation, and nutrient cycling • regulating services such as soil stability and carbon storage • cultural value in the recreational, historical, aesthetic, and even spiritual realms Threats to lions include habitat

loss, human-wildlife conflict (as people kill lions that attack their livestock), and poaching — including hunting for a growing lion-bone trade driven by demand for traditional-medicine products in Asia.

In Manyara and Kenya's LUMO Conservancy, we have worked with communities to protect livestock from lion attacks. Our model is based on simple technology:

predator-proof, metal, portable corrals known as bomas. By protecting livestock from predation through the use of these bomas, we are preventing incidents of the human-wildlife conflict that poses such a severe threat to lions. In tandem with community outreach to sensitize communities to lions as critical to healthy landscapes, these efforts are changing minds and helping shift historical narratives about lions.

Solar energy to drive Africa’s economic growth Recognising that traditional grid infrastructure is not a viable solution in rural and peri-urban areas and the enormity of the solar opportunity, lights the way for Africa’s growth. The DRC is the latest country to invest big with BBoxx .

BBoxx designs, manufactures, distributes and finances innovative plug & play solar systems to improve access to energy across Africa and the developing world.

The investment potential is currently estimated at $24bn by a report unveiled recently at the UK’s African Investment Forum.

What is the opportunity in real terms?

• Economic growth: Access to electricity is an important trigger for creating jobs and promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

• Digital inclusion: The provision of affordable financing combined with technology, then using the internet to remotely monitor solar home systems and tracking millions of mobile payments.

• Climate action: Clean solar energy is integral to combatting climate change. Offsetting substantial CO2 emissions and stepping up from a flashlight, kerosene lamp, or candle.

• Driving demand: Closing the energy gap creates demand in other areas including – gas, water, finance and internet. over one billion data points

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 13

NEWS UPDATE

Technology to aid small scale farming Gilbert F. Houngbo is President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialist agency at the United Nations.

As a new decade dawns, it seems that the world is truly at a tipping point: Australia scorched by fire; cropland ravaged by floods in Britain and Europe; locusts swarming East Africa’s farms; and a record 45 million people facing food crisis in southern Africa.

Extreme weather events are becoming the new normal hope lies in the rural small-scale farmers who generate income and food for the world’s poorest people.

Half the world’s food calories are produced by small-scale farmers on just 30 per cent of the world’s agricultural land. These farmers have a strong personal incentive to get the most from their land and from their own labour. They also tend to grow a wider range of crop varieties that are adapted to local conditions.

Greater agricultural diversity makes cropping systems less vulnerable to epidemics caused by pests and diseases, it improves soil fertility, and strengthens resilience to floods and droughts.

Climate-smart practices reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon sequestration; they can recharge the water tables and prevent landslides and dust storms.

In short, they protect the natural capital that is the foundation of life, livelihoods and economies in rural areas.

Prosperous small farms not only provide food but also create jobs, and raise demand for locally produced goods and services. This in turn spurs opportunity, economic growth and more stable societies Deep in rural western Zimbabwe, 14 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

where tarred roads are nonexistent, Japhet Ngwenya used to spend every season worrying that the people who advise him on how to protect his crops from dry spells and pest invasions would not be able to reach him. officers from the consortium Turning Matabeleland Green (TMG) managed to make their way to Ngwenya's farm to show him their solution: climate and crop information collected by satellite and sent to farmers' phones.

More than 7 million people work as communal or small-scale farmers, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Many still rely on traditional weather-predicting systems and occasional visits by on-the-ground extension officers to get crucial information and advice.

But using satellite data, groups like TMG can access weather information that is more accurate than the general forecasts supplied by the meteorological department, said Lwazi Mlilo, an agronomist working with TMG. And with mobile phone technology, they can get that information to farmers faster than they would by

sending people out to hard-to-reach farms, he added.

Mlilo showed Ngwenya how extension officers can look at the farmer's 27-hectare (67-acre) holding on Google Maps and combine that with satellite data available online to track everything from weather patterns to the health of crops.

"I can monitor the activity on your farm from my office. We do not need to come here to check the progress of your crops," he explained to the visibly awed farmer.

Experts might then advise farmers in the low-rainfall Matabeleland region on what seeds to plant and which techniques to use to keep their crops thriving, Mlilo said.

Because most rural farmers in Zimbabwe have no internet connection - many have no electricity at all - TMG communicates with them via SMS, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The organisation can quickly tell farmers if a plot in their area has suffered a pest invasion or send out warnings about sudden changes in climate conditions to all the farmers in a particular area at once, he explained.

MARA - ENTEBBE - MARA VIA KISUMU

Experience a wildlife safari through the savannah of Kenya & Uganda

Fares

Daily Flight Schedule

Mara - Entebbe

Mara - Entebbe - Minimum 2 pax From

To

Depart Arrive

Mara

Entebbe

0845

1130

Entebbe

Mara

1215

1430approx

Mara

Kisumu

0845

0950

Kisumu

Mara

1355

1430 approx

Kisumu

Entebbe

1030

1130

Entebbe

Kisumu

1215

1315

From Entebbe - Minimum 2 pax From To Entebbe Kihihi (BINP) Entebbe Kasese / Mweya (QENP)

Depart Arrive 1245 1355 1245 1435

From Entebbe - Minimum 4 pax Entebbe Semiliki Entebbe Bugungu Entebbe Pakuba / Chobe (MFNP) Entebbe Kidepo (KVNP)

www.airkenya.com Tel: +254 20 3916000 Email: resvns@airkenya.com/ marketing@airkenya.com

1245 1200 1200

1435 1315 1315

1230

1445

Taxes USD

Mara - Entebbe Entebbe - Mara

One way

340

80

Return

565

160

Mara - Kisumu Kisumu - Mara

One way

200

30

Return

340

60

150

80

300

160

Kisumu - Entebbe One way Entebbe - Kisumu Return

• Routes via Kisumu for immigration.

Fare USD

From Entebbe

Mara-Kihihi (BINP) Mara- Kasese / mweya (QENP) Mara-Semiliki Mara-Bugungu Mara- Pakuba / Chobe (MFNP) Mara-Kidepo (KVNP)

www.aerolinkuganda.com Tel. +256 317 333000 Email: info@aerolinkuganda.com

One way One way

Fare Taxes USD USD 613 90 613 90

One way One way One way

613 592 592

90 90 90

One way

742

90

www.regionaltanzania.com NEWS(0)753 MARCH - MAY 2020 | 15 Tel.NDEGE +255 500300 Email: resvns@regional.co.tz

NEWS UPDATE

m-nomad.co.ke platform for small holder pastoralists Driven by their childhood experience of nomadic lifestyle where they witnessed their parents lose livestock to drought and lack of drugs and vaccines, two young entrepreneurs from Wajir County are now leveraging on technology to provide market and veterinary services to smallholder pastoralists in rural Kenya.

Fed up with the situation, Ibrahim Ahmed, 28, and Abdirahman Abdullahi, 27, in 2018 started doing some research on how they could come up with a solution, which birthed Geljir Technologies Limited, a social enterprise firm that they founded in April 2019 to engineer innovative solutions in the livestock sector in sub-saharan Africa.

Users (seller and the buyer) engage in a transparent and free marketplace where sellers are matched with buyers who have reliable supplies and close deals faster without middlemen.

When all is done, Geljir through M-nomad facilitates the logistics and delivery which has been a problem in

16 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

livestock marketing, and cuts a commission before paying the seller within 48 hours of the sale through their phone.

M-nomad is also enabling pastoralists to access vaccines and veterinary services. This reduces livestock disease and mortality rate and enables them to run sustainable livestock operations.

The producers also get alerts on weather, prices and animal husbandry through their phone for free, via sms, and they can notify stakeholders of any disease outbreaks and trigger a quick response.

Currently, the company is working with women livestock groups in Wajir and Isiolo and engaging with groups from other counties in the arid and semi-arid lands.

“Our goal is to empower women and integrate them into the livestock value chain,” said Abdirahman Abdullahi Co-founder, Director of Innovation and Business Development.

NEWS UPDATE

Fresh Kid - the 8 year old Ugandan who bought his parents a house

Ugandan rapper "Fresh Kid" has racked up hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube, won a U.S. music award and emerged victorious from a tussle with the government – all before his eighth birthday.

The rapper, real name Patrick Ssenyonjo, has become a household name in Uganda Fresh Kid discovered his talent while growing up in Luwero, a coffee-growing area 60 km (37 miles) north of the capital Kampala.

"He could listen to a song on radio and immediately memorise it and start singing it," said his father, Paul Mutabaazi, 40, an illiterate manicurist.

One day a singer he idolized held a show near their home. Fresh Kid

asked to perform as a warm-up act, earning 500,000 shillings ($136) for his efforts – a month's salary for a teacher in Uganda.

Mutabaazi approached a talent spotter who started booking performances and producing his songs.

Ironically, the boy's career really took off when Uganda's minister for children's affairs sought to bar him last year from singing under laws prohibiting child labour.

Fresh Kid then wrote "Bambi", his plea to be allowed to sing. It became ubiquitous on the radio and in bars, and won the Best International Video from the U.S.-based Carolina Music Video Awards.

"Don't send me back to the village

where there's no help, I remember a time when money was scarce, Getting fees and food was so difficult," he sings in his hit single "Bambi", which means "Please" in the Luganda language and has had more than 200,000 YouTube views.

"Children should work hard. If you have a talent, use it," Fresh Kid told Reuters.

Eventually his parents, his manager and the government struck a deal.

Fresh Kid now lives in Kampala with his family in an apartment he bought and he attends an elite school on a full bursary. His father has opened a beauty salon in Kampala.

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 17

NEWS UPDATE

Tributes to Great Tusker Tim who died this year February 5th, 2020

“Tim was born in January 1969 to Trista of the TD family. We first met him when he was only 4 years old, we watched him grow and become independent, then grow further into a magnificent mature male. Later in his life Tim became one of Africa's most famous elephant icons and people flocked to Amboseli in the hope of seeing him.

To us, it wasn't his spectacular tusks that made Tim so special, it was his calm and gentle nature.

To us, and the other members of the ecosystem, he was a polite elephant, and very popular with other elephants of all ages, both male and female. Male elephants often befriend and follow older experienced males in order to learn important survival and social skills, especially when they first become independent. Tim welcomed these friendships; he was playful and tolerant with younger males, even

18 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

when he was mating or guarding oestrus females. Unsurprisingly females thought him to be a good choice for mating and we know he passed on his genes many times over the years.

Wild male elephant lifespans are almost always shorter than those of females; in 47 years studying the Amboseli population we have only recorded 14 males who were older than 50 when they died. Tim was 51 and in musth, so he was in good physical shape and there is every chance we will get more babies born to him in the coming 22 months if he had been mating recently.

The post-mortem results from Kenya Wildlife Service revealed he died of a twisted gut, which is a natural cause of death for elephants, although we don't know why this happened at this time.

Of course we are incredibly sad that Tim is dead; he has been part of our lives for so long. It's hard to believe we will never see his unmistakable tall form striding the Amboseli plains, and all of us will miss the thrill of his company.

Our trust with the elephants is always precious, but with Tim it was extra special - having a male of that size and stature come up to greet us, then rest by the car always gave us goosebumps. But we take comfort in the fact that Tim's life had significant impact for both elephants and humans: protecting him catalysed positive collaborations, his fame sparked huge public awareness and his legacy lives on in the lives of the male friends who he taught, and the calves he fathered.”

Dr. Cynthia Moss Director of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants

NEWS UPDATE

And here’s another story about him, “In 2014 during a board meeting in Amboseli, we found out that Tim was injured. Someone had speared him and he was limping. My board was very upset that such a giant had no protection. They immediately committed to saving Tim. It wasn’t until late 2016 that we could put a collar on him. The project involved many players; Save the Elephants, Big Life Foundation, Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Kenya Wildlife Service, and the community. Tim was fitted with a collar and that meant he could be followed, protected and kept out of farms.

It worked exceptionally well. Too well. Tim lost weight because he couldn’t raid farms. But within two years he somehow got rid of his collar. Without it, he and his gang could return to his nocturnal terrorizing raids on nearby farms.

During the filming of Wildlife Warriors last year we went to look for Tim. He was standing with his askaris, a group of big males who stood in a defensive array of outward-pointing tusks. There was Tolstoy who is easy to spot as the tips of his tusks have been sawn off and Townsend, who is Tim’s little nephew. They wafted their ears lazily even though they looked awake and terrifying, we could see that they were asleep. Tim slept last – mostly because his body kept swaying slowly from side to side with the incredible appearance as if he was about to fall down.

The next day a National Geographic crew came to shoot with us and after seeing our footage of Tim and his gang, were determined to get the same image. We returned and found Tim with about fifty other elephants. It was a family gathering.

After about an hour, the bulls pulled

away. We followed them from a distance. They stopped and stood out in the open. We got to within ten meters. They didn’t seem to care, and one by one they lay down, then snored for two hours. Tim surprised everyone. He was a crop raider but he was a gentle, calm, intelligent being. His size was breathtaking, and he seemed to know it.

As a huge male, Tim secured many matings with the females and so we are certain that he’s a baby daddy to many little ones in Amboseli. The gene for ‘super tusker’ has been passed on many times.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t heartbroken that Tim is no more.

But I’m also proud. Proud that he died of natural causes. That our work did create awareness of this giant in Kenya and around the world. I’m sad we never got to host the Elephant Naming ceremony with President Uhuru Kenyatta – an event that we hoped would really create much more awareness about our pride and heritage. I’m sad that we were unable to persuade others that we should be celebrating and naming our elephants as a nation.

RIP Tim, fly with all the other Elephant Angels.”

Dr. Paula Kahumbu, CEO Wildlife Direct NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 19

CLIMATE CHANGE

The Extinctions according to Richard Leakey

Richard Leakey began his talk with “this is going to depress you” and he didn’t disappoint.

Leakey described his house on Lamu island, where the water’s edge remained several feet away from the gate, even at the highest spring tide for years. Nowadays, it comes up one feet up the gate. The polar ice sheets are melting due to warmer temperatures, raising sea levels.

All habitats have changed, perhaps only in the very deep sea, will creatures not be affected. Most of the world’s sea ports will go.

So effective has the manipulation of information been that even when Al Gore lost the US presidency and made the film “An Inconvenient Truth”, governments and corporations were unable to halt the cogs that they had put into place.

20 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

CLIMATE CHANGE

The horticulturists in Kenya were already telling us to plant succulents as an adaption to long droughts that were eminent. Even today, some important people are still denying climate change. Which Leakey said was just “stupid”.

Leakey went on to say that in his book “The Sixth Extinction”, he got the blame wrong, missing out climate change caused by humans as the major cause. An extinction being when a massive amount of biodiversity is lost in a very short time.

In the Earth’s 4.6 billion year history, there have been five major extinctions.

The first was the Ordovician mass extinction, about 440 million years ago, of the Paleozic Era when 85%

of species were eliminated due to continental drift and subsequent climate change.

The second - Devonian Mass Extinction came next in the Devonian period of the Paleozoic era, some 375 million years ago.

80% of all living creatures were eliminated by a lack of oxygen in the oceans, fast cooling of air, volcanic eruptions and maybe meteor strikes.

The Permian mass extinction of the Paleozoic era was third and happened 250 million years ago, killing off 96% of earth’s species.

The cause is thought to have been asteroid strikes, volcanic activity, climate change and microbes.

The fourth was the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction of the Mesozoic era, which took place about 200 million

years ago. 50% of species were lost.

Major volcanic activity, basalt floods, climate change, changing levels and pH of sea water is thought to be the cause.

Finally, the fifth K-T mass extinction, which is known best of all, for wiping out the dinosaurs. Some 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period of the Mezoic era, about 75% of all species were eliminated due to extreme asteroid or meteor impact.

We are in the midst of the Sixth mass extinction, the Halocene or Anthropocene extinction right now known to be caused primarily by human population growth and increasing per capita consumption.

All our modern needs, emit carbon and other and green house gas NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 21

CLIMATE CHANGE

emissions into the atmosphere and into the seas, which are suffering due to over fishing and from massive plastic pollution as well.

Food on land, Leakey claims has been affected by excess atmospheric carbon the most, with tubers storing and becoming the most toxic. Yams, cassava, sweet potatoes, taro, carrots are all affected. And, the toxins cannot be got removed even by boiling.

In a moment of dark humour, he looked around the room and said “I see prominent conservationists in the room, Cynthia Moss and Paula Kahumba …“are they just pissing in the wind?”

He did offer a glimmer of hope when he said education was the key to arresting further disasters even though it will not get us out of trouble in the near term. Educate you staff, use electrical cars, solar and wind power, he urged. Then he brought up a controversial idea that most environmentalists believe will change the social behaviour of

22 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

animals. He said to conserve wild species, parks should be intensely managed. That would mean fencing, watering plants and perhaps even feeding living things to ensure their survival.

Richard Leakey was instrumental in ensuring that the new train tracks that run through Nairobi National Park were elevated to provide corridors for animals to continue grazing, hunting, breeding and avoiding collisions.

The other problem Leakey highlighted was corruption. The locust infestation is being treated with pesticides that are making the food crops that are being sprayed inedible. There is an organisation, known as the Desert Locust Control Organisation of East Africa, which was unable to do its work due to lack of funding.

If the correct pesticide had been sourced in time, the second stage, when the nymphs hatch, would have been controlled and the effects of the swarms, would be much less

devastating.

This last information I get from Cynthis Moss with whom I’m sharing a morning coffee.

I also pick the brains of Delta Willis, conservationist and travel writer, who has attended both Leakey’s Nairobi lectures. And she tells me that it is possible for people to change their attitudes towards consumption and invest in renewable energies. The government of Kenya has floated a green bond.

Richard Leakey started out as a safari guide then became director of Kenya Wildlife Services where he is known for his reforms. He was also Cabinet Secretary, having founded the Safina party in 2007.

The Leakey’s including Richard’s parents Louis and Mary, and Richard’s wife Meave, worked as archaeologists and fossil hunters in Olduvai gorge and the Lake Turkana basin in the 1960s and 1970s, their work cemente d Africa as the cradle of mankind.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Heating planet causing pre-mature births As the planet warms, some regions - including the African tropics - are heating up faster than others.

Periods of extreme heat are becoming longer and more frequent, and that has dangerous effects particularly on vulnerable groups including the elderly, infants, and people who work outdoors, scientists say.

"We know that many African subsistence farmers are women, and they've been a neglected area of research," said Andy Haines, former director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a supervisor of Bonell's research.

That means "this work is potentially very significant".

Large studies from the United States and Europe have shown that higher temperatures are linked to an increase in premature births and babies born underweight, but they have not demonstrated how or why it happens, said Ana Bonell, a doctor specialising in tropical medicine and maternal health.

To try to answer that question, she has observed 50

pregnant women so far in an ongoing study for the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

She aims to monitor 125 in total.

In about 30% of the women, Bonell said, she has seen signs of foetal distress - either a high foetal heart rate or not enough blood going to the baby - when mothers work outside in the heat.

After many years working across the African continent, we have seen the enormity of the solar opportunity grow alongside rapid population expansion. The investment potential is currently estimated at $24bn by a report unveiled recently at the UK’s African Investment Forum.

The Forum saw government representatives, investors and private companies come together in a hive of activity resulting in multiple deals, all with the aim of furthering the development of the African continent.

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 23

Grevy’s Rally This year, WildlifeDirect is partnered with the Grevy’s Zebra Trust and nine other conservation organizations to organize the second Great Grevy’s Rally that was held on the January 27th and 28th across five Counties in Northern Kenya including Laikipia County, which has the largest population of Grevy’s zebra in Kenya. Other counties include, Isiolo, Meru, Marsabit, Isiolo and Samburu.

Grevy’s zebras are currently found in Kenya and the Ethiopia. They originally inhabited 5 countries,

namely; Djibouti, Eretria, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somali however, as their numbers plummeted as a result of land degradation, loss of habitat and poaching, they moved to the Northern part of Kenya and the Southern part of Ethiopia. They are considered an endangered species whose population has now reduced from 15,000 in the 70s to less than 2,500 in 2016. Kenya is home to over 90% of the total population of Grevy’s zebras and the more reason why we should pay a close attention to their survival.

RAPORTAGE

RAPORTAGE DIARY

3 March World Wildlife Day All over the Earth.

March 4-8 Swahili Literary Festival Mombasa, Kenya.

Information: http://hekaya.co.ke/ 4-8 March Yoga Festival Lamu Shela, Manda & Stone Town, Lamu.

19-21 March Amakula International Film Festival Kampala, Uganda

8 March International Women’s Day All over the world.

15 March Kenya Kite Festival Nairobi Polo Club

Nairobi Food Festival Ngong Racecourse TBA March 2020 Nairobi Film Festival Prestige Plaza TBA end of March, beginning of April

25 | NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER, 2019 - FEBRUARY 2020

NDEGE NEWS JUNE - AUGUST 2019 | 25 NDEGE NEWS DECEMBER, 2019 - FEBRUARY 2020 | 25

FEATURE

E

Cultural Immersion Awaits you at Emburara Farm Lodge

mburara is a must for anyone visiting Bwindi National Park.

It is found in Mbarara, a hilly district in Western Uganda that is found within three hours drive from the park. This vast countryside farm with luxurious eco-lodges gives a great introduction of the history of Ankole kingdom, as shown through music, dance, and traditional food. During your homestay experience at this cultural village replica, you will be immersed in the endearing customs and cultures of this tribe of tall cattle keepers.

Brace yourself for a heartwarming welcome during the campfire

experience. The performers put up an energetic and engaging show, telling of the migration of the Ankole people and their long horned species of cattle. Their passion, enthusiasm and enjoyment of ekitaguriro traditional dance is infectious. The experience is backed by delightfully and informative story telling. You are free to join in the fun. By the same token, your participation in the making of traditional dishes is welcome, at the end of which you can join in the feast. Most of the dishes are flavored with fresh cattle products such as eshabwe, a nourishing ghee source.

Prior to your departure, the

hosts will organize for you a complimentary farm/ tour in which you will learn the A-Z about their elegant long horned cattle. At the kraal, you will have an opportunity to milk the healthy looking cows using you bare hands, just like a native.

John, the herdsman is a supportive and patient. You will love the complementarity of his approach and teaching styles that are full of fun moments. As you handle and communicate with the cows, you will come to the realization that they are like people. They come from different lineages and have different characters though look so much alike. Watching them and their

Brace yourself for a heartwarming welcome during the campfire experience. The performers put up an energetic and engaging show, telling of the migration of the Ankole people and their long horned species of cattle

26 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

calves graze in the open field is such a soothing and calming encounter.

You will crown your day with a peaceful night in eco-friendly huts whose architectural design date back to the 16th century. They have a cozy interior and warm lighting.

All the cottages are surrounded by lovely, flowering gardens, tweeting birds.

Throughout your stay, you will be under the care of dedicated staff!

They respect your privacy and you’re always welcome to join them in their day to day and family activities as you learn about legendary traditions.

What to know Cost: The average price for full board accommodation per night here is $150-$400.

Best time to visit; anytime of the year. Why? Like most parts of western Uganda, the weather at Emburara is friendly all year.

For other details, visit www.emburarafarmlodge.com Aerolink Uganda has daily flight schedule to Emburara. For booking visit: www.aerolinkuganda.com

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 27

Under the Seven Sisters

At Loisaba Lodo Springs

Loisaba’s newest canvas roofs are tucked into the curved ridge of an escarpment, overlooking Lodo Springs 28 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

T

he male camels are working.

We rode two of them this morning. With its rocky outcrops, escarpments, valleys, rivers and plains all within our view, looks like a film set, in which a lion cub could get lost. We undulate past a breeding bunch of camel cows with camel calves. A couple of men go from one udder to the other collecting their milk.

Later, in the land cruiser, we meet a young lioness sprawled in the middle of the dirt road nearby. She was spotted with a male earlier who has now disappeared. They were probably napping in a honeymoon induced stupor whilst we were passing on our camel ride, the lead

guide wading in his recycled tyre sandals through the low flowing river and the other whistling and clucking to the camels alongside us.

One day the Borana got up and said to his tribe, we will migrate to live under the seven sisters constellation, known as Loisaba in the Maa of the Samburu, who also traversed these lands. Later, 57,000 acres here in northern Laikipia became a ranch for horned and great humped Zebu beef cattle.

They are known as the Borana cattle because the Borana have bred these herds, native to the Oromo region in southern Ethiopia, for centuries.

In around 1000 BCE, the camel herding cushites from Somalia

reached the Gabra and Rendille of northern Kenya, who then brought their camels to the lands of the Samburu. As the climate begins to make these lands yet more arid, camels are thriving in favour of cattle.

Our Borana guide Bashir, is well versed with the adaptations of the animals to these high plateaux.

We are watching a group of Oryx, studying their slick heat reflective coats and their dark legs which absorb heat in the plummeting night-time temperatures. Their urine is very concentrated and their faeces is dry. They can sense rainfall and will eat root tubers when no vegetation is available. The

Elewana Loisaba Lodo Springs - Accommodation - Main areas exterior:

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 29

FEATURE

oryx can effectively survive without water, and is therefore the national emblem of the desert country of Qatar.

Gerenuks Bashir says, have evolved similar adaptations including nasal breathing, and eating whilst standing on their hind legs to reach leaves other antelope can’t. From the stables, we ride out on horse back.

Dik-diks flit away from our track and watch from around bushes as the horses shake their manes. These cute, shy tiny antelopes, a mere snack for a big leopard, are very territorial, marking their territory with scent from the preorbital glands in the front of their eyes. They pair for life and breed prolifically, with a five month gestation. Bashir tells us that “Male dik-diks can kill each other.”

On our drives we come across the delicious prickly pear, a cactus from South America that is growing in proliferation under trees and in great clumps in the savannah. Opuntia engelmannii has plenty of competition in its native environment but here, it has become invasive, snuffing out indigenous, slower growing plants. In Loisaba, they introduced the cochineal beetle, that feeds on the cactus and spreads a virus that would weaken the succulent; but it wasn’t fast enough.

30 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

Lioness in Loisaba; BOTTOM: Oryx and Thompson's Gazelles

Now it is being removed with hands and earth moving tractors. When its sticky thorns and fleshy leaves fall to the ground, new growths spring up.

So, killing and burying the plant in very deep pits needs to be carefully monitored.

Loisaba’s newest canvas roofs are tucked into the curved ridge of an escarpment, overlooking Lodo Springs. When we arrive, an elephant is taking a slow walk away from the watering hole up the other side of the valley. In the plains below, the red oat which is the sole reason for the mighty migration that

takes place in the south every year, is unusually high after unseasonal rainfall.

This part of Kenya is prone to droughts, which follow failure of seasonal rains. 2010/2011 had seen the worst drought for 60 years.

In 2013, on the north eastern boundary of the conservancy, the pastoralists were relaxed, awaiting the short rains. The sun was high in the sky and honey collectors were smoking out bees from their hives, heating up the midday, yet more.

Something happened that

THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE: Dik dik with prickly pear; Kori Bustard in courtship display; D'Arnaud's Barbets;

sparked some brush nearby. The surrounding dry bushes were ablaze, a gust of wind threw flames outwards to catch on thick grasses and very high winds carried the fire faster still, leaping up to 30 feet. This bushfire burned nearly 25,000 acres of grassland, as well as Loisaba’s tented Lodge and Private House, before it got under control.

As this has always been a working ranch, the tame and the feral have existed alongside each other.

Whilst Loisaba may not have the game density of the Masai Mara, here within the conservancy, they encourage walking, riding and exploring it. My daughter takes a mountain bike out with two guides

and they ride past Oryx, and through a group of Grant’s gazelles.

Both the Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles live in herds of females and young ones with just one male.

Every time we come across a lone gazelle, Bashir asks us to guess if it’s a confused male just ousted from his harem by a contender & still searching for a bachelor herd to join, or one that is fattening himself up for a fight with the current alpha.

Now, all three of Elewana’s camps - Loisaba Tented Camp, Kiboko Star Beds where you can sleep outdoors, directly under the seven sisters and Loisaba Lodo Springs are all up and running. We were looked after by a butler and a guide, had a

champagne breakfast in a spot by a marsh which we reached by camel and stopped for sundowners and canapés by a campfire at the end of our game drive. Loisaba feels very intimate with its close proximity to its flora, fauna, the luxury tents under the heavens and remarkably attentive service.

There is no evidence of the fire anymore in the verdant landscape with it’s flowing river, full watering hole and frolicking animals. When Bashir tells me he comes from nearby Goto, meaning waterfall, his words ring true, in this otherwise parched north. There are plans to reintroduce rhinos, to save the reticulated giraffe and the very endangered hirola antelope. We meet the canine unit with a couple of very friendly blood hounds who can remember a smell for six months. Yesterday, they were deployed in a nearby village where cattle hustlers dared to work. Today they are resting, because crime in general and poaching has been almost been annihilated. www.elewanacollection.com

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 31

FEATURE

Hardships of the Hunt: How Cheetahs Struggle to Obtain Prey For cheetahs, most hunts end in failure—and the difference between success and failure often comes down to experience

FEATURE

By Mark Smeltz

B

lackened stalks of grass crunched beneath the tires of the Land Rover as we pulled just off the track to get a better look at a lithe, tawny shape shimmering in the haze of the midday East African heat. A controlled burn had recently surged through this sector of Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, and already new shoots of green growth were poking through the charred landscape. But my eyes were fixed firmly ahead, studying the feline form we had pulled over to observe. It was a cheetah, and she was on the hunt. Following her line of sight through my binoculars, I soon spotted her quarry: a cluster of grazing Thomson’s gazelle, drifting slowly in her general direction as they picked amongst the burnt grass, looking for fresh growth. The cheetah was watching them intently, her body low to the ground in the inimitable pose of the classic hunter.

But there was one complication: a few yards behind her, gamboling about in the dead grass, was a cub.

The cheetah’s cub couldn’t have been more than three months old, not yet weaned and therefore totally dependent on its mother for protection and nutrition. Cheetah cubs are born to litters of three or four, and this cub was almost certainly the sole survivor of a larger group of siblings. So it was no surprise that the little cheetah didn’t want to let its mother out of its sight. As she crept closer to her prey in imperceptible increments, the cub followed—but it had none of her poise, none of her grace, and none of her discretion. And so as I watched, the drama unfolded in two separate arenas: the gazelles inched ever closer to the hunter and their own doom, while the cub risked giving away the hunter’s

position with each undisciplined movement. The minutes stretched into half an hour, and the tension finally ratcheted to its breaking point. The cub broke into a playful sprint, catching up with its mother in leaping bounds. This was too much to ignore, and the gazelles’ heads snapped up in alarm. The prey took flight, and the hunter leapt into pursuit—but the Tommies were still too far away, and the hunt was over before it really began.

This was not an unusual series of events. For cheetahs, most hunts end in failure—and the difference between success and failure often comes down to experience. These big cats become more adept hunters as they age, accumulating skills and fine-tuning their techniques.

Strategies like choosing the right hunting environment, locating appropriately sized prey species, and closing the proper stalking distance are all learned behaviors which can contribute to a cheetah’s success or failure on the hunt. But even the most experienced cheetah can’t be guaranteed a kill. Studies have shown that single cheetahs may make less than a quarter of their attempted kills. So what can a cheetah do to increase its chances of putting food on the proverbial table? As it turns out, I’d discover one possible answer just a day later.

Another day, another cheetah— or, in this case, another five cheetahs. As we pulled up to a lone blackthorn in the middle of the midday heat, I was shocked to discover what proved to be no fewer than five individual cheetahs sprawled beneath its scant shade. And these cheetahs were obviously companions: they sought constant contact with each other, resting with their legs and tails intertwined. They yawned NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 33

FEATURE

frequently and lolled comfortably in each other’s company, radiating a sense of relaxation and confidence.

There could be no question: these were the Mara’s famous “Fast Five.”

These cheetahs have earned a fair bit of celebrity for themselves in recent years; their photos are shared frequently among safari enthusiasts on social media, and they’ve featured in televised nature documentaries. They belong to what’s known as a coalition of male cheetahs: a group of related or unrelated males that have formed a tightly knit social group.

But I knew that after reaching about 15 months of age, most cheetah cubs achieve independence from their mothers and begin a solitary lifestyle. So why did these five males form a coalition in the first place? To get some answers, I relied on the expertise of Dr. Elena Chelysheva. She has worked as the project manager of the Mara-Meru Cheetah Project since its inception in 2011, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone more familiar with the cheetahs of the Maasai Mara. The project works with local conservation Mara cheetahs

groups to maintain an extensive database of cheetah identifications, and I knew that she’d have the scoop on the Fast Five.

“I actually dedicated my article to the coalition of five males,” says Chelysheva of one of her most recent reports for Swara, a magazine published by the East African Wildlife Society. Her research shows that there are a multitude of reasons that cheetahs form coalitions: they can avoid confrontations with larger predators, gain access to preferential territory, and benefit from having more eyes and ears to detect potential threats. “Cheetah sociality is a very interesting and complex topic,” she explains. Her work demonstrates how this coalition’s leadership role is shared between two different cheetahs. This means that both leaders are responsible for resolving conflicts between coalition members and selecting which prey to hunt. It’s a complex job that comes with its own set of challenges. But there’s one advantage to joining the team that isn’t hard to figure out: by hunting in a group, cheetahs can

tackle larger prey species and have a better chance of eating well.

Studies demonstrate that cheetah coalitions of at least three males can successfully obtain prey in about one half of their hunting attempts.

While the jury is still out on whether this represents a statistically significant increase, there’s no denying that a big coalition like the Fast Five can hunt larger animals like wildebeest or ostrich. And with larger prey on the menu, they can afford to share their meals.

Another hunting-related benefit also becomes apparent when a member of a coalition experiences an injury.

Even a minor accident can be a death sentence for a single cheetah, which must be in prime physical condition to hunt successfully.

Cheetahs which are part of a coalition, however, can enjoy the privilege of sharing meals with the group while they recover. For these reasons, a fully-functioning coalition is an attractive prospect for many male cheetahs. But even the most robust cheetah coalition can run into unexpected problems when it comes to hunting.

FEATURE

Serengeti Cheetah Project; RIGHT: Serengeti coalition

Regrettably, cheetahs continue to experience interference from human observers. In popular reserves like the Maasai Mara, it’s not uncommon to see upwards of a dozen Land Rovers and minibuses clustered around a single predator. To learn how these “traffic jams” can adversely affect the cats’ hunting behavior, I turned to Dr. Anne Hilborn. She earned her PhD while working with the Serengeti Cheetah Project to gather data on wild cheetahs in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park.

Her work involved observing hunting behavior, cataloguing prey selection, and recording information about competition with other predators.

Unfortunately, she also saw how cheetahs can be forced to “compete” with tourist vehicles.

“In the Serengeti, cars line up along the road and tend to create a line of cars,” she explains. “In areas with off-road driving allowed, the drivers tend to create a partial or complete ring around the cheetah.”

It’s not hard to see how this could

present some serious problems for a hunter trying to approach its prey undetected. Hilborn’s research shows that cheetahs need a clear line of sight to hunt; a wall of vehicles can completely obstruct their ability to scan their territory for prey. “Cheetahs are visual hunters,” she explains, “and need to be able to

spot potential prey from a distance.

Blockades of cars can prevent them from being able to see portions of the landscape.”

Vehicles can create additional problems, too. “I have seen a cheetah get up and walk out of the circle of cars to try to find prey,” Hilborn recalls. “Then most

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 35

FEATURE

Stalking-Alert

of the cars switch on their engines and follow her, jockeying for the best position. It is hard to be a stealth hunter and sneak up on unsuspecting prey when loud cars are following you.” This problem is especially pronounced in reserves that permit off-road driving, where tourist vehicles can follow the cheetahs anywhere they please.

The continuous revving of vehicle engines can also alert prey species to the presence of a cheetah, further interfering with the hunting process.

So what can you do to be a more ethical safarigoer?

Many game reserves and national parks have a series of formal guidelines with which guests and drivers should be familiar. These rules may address the questions of driving after sunset, staying on the roads, and how closely an animal should be approached.

When it comes to cheetahs, Hilborn recommends an easy rule of thumb: never get closer than 25 meters. If

36 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

the cheetah is feeding on a kill, that distance should be increased to at least 50 meters. And if a cheetah is hunting, it needs an even wider berth: cars should come no closer than 100 meters.

Additionally, cars should never come between a cheetah and its prey. If you’re watching a coalition or a mother with cubs, you should never drive or park between one cheetah and another member of its group. It’s also important to avoid any actions that could impact this sensitive cat: talking loudly or making sudden noises can cause a disruption to normal cheetah behavior. If this is starting to sound like a lot to remember, don’t worry: your guide will already know these rules. Just be sure to let your guide know that you don’t want to be part of an overcrowded sighting.

“Safarigoers should be encouraged to reward their drivers for ethical behavior,” Hilborn suggests, “rather than getting them as close as possible to cheetahs.”

Hilborn does acknowledge that it’s only natural for tourists to want to get close in order to photograph wild cheetahs. But if we aren’t careful, we could be endangering the very animals that we’ve come so far to see. “In the past, the Serengeti Cheetah Project recorded an incident where the crowd of cars around a mother and cubs separated one cub from her mother,” Hilborn warns. “The cub was not seen again.” This is a stark reminder, but it’s a necessary one. The cheetah is a uniquely fragile species among big cats, and it has evolved a fascinating social structure to increase its chances of successfully obtaining prey—the last thing it needs is to have its survival threatened by careless human interference. Only by approaching cheetahs with sensitivity and respect can we work to ensure that they survive to reward future generations with the chance to appreciate the timeliness dance of predator and prey in the African bush.

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FEATURE

Secrets of The Forest From Meru National Park’s Rhino River Camp

38 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

FEATURE

OPPOSITE AND THIS PAGE: Pool at Rhino River Camp; Tents on Stilts at Rhino River Camp; Forest Elephant Meru

True wilderness is mysterious. As I walk to my tent on stilts, I take in the smells of camphor, green leaf volatiles and something foetid perhaps nitrifying bacteria in root nodules or animal waste - monkeys?

I see only the little frog I saw an hour ago playing dead, on its back it’s now wriggling. It maybe poisonous or harbouring deadly microbes, because an hour is a long wait for carrion eating larvae which include beetles or scavenging ants. I help it, with my walking stick, to turn over.

The perimetre of Rhino River Camp takes you through Miraa fields and bomas - one is humble, three mere frames of wood and straw to hold the mabati roof, the centre is battered earth, smooth and swept clean. An old lady, swathed in lesos comes out to greet Peterson and I as we pass. The next boma invites us with the scent of spicy, floral tobacco. We ask permission to tarry in the centre of three mud and mabati buildings - children playing, a woman breastfeeding an infant, a cockerel watching proudly over his brood. Three men, equidistant from

each other, one is elderly with misty eyes, chop bundles of yellowed tobacco leaves, whilst the youngish chap in the middle spreads it out to dry on a tarpaulin.

Back on track, we see mud flying from a mole rat’s efforts, it stops when we approach, then hear children’s voices but see nothing except the young goat herder, appearing round the track’s bend.

From here, the nearest town is Maua, and three Boda-bodas with

three people each, behind the driver, approach the crossing. All the passengers alight and the drivers push their motorbikes into the flowing river. The first one crosses but his bike doesn’t make it up the hill on the other side, falling in the muddy slide. The people nevertheless make it against the current and all except one driver, go with them.

The rivers are all flooded and the bridge crossings precarious. We’ve

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 39

FEATURE

Old Baobab in Meru Reserve; BOTTOM: Rhinos in Meru Reserve

crossed one made of loose logs and railway sleepers several times.

It overlooks the ruined concrete structure made of culverts, in which is lodged half a tree. The rushing flood waters of climate change’s response to the extended drought before it, cracked it and washed most of it away.

Peterson and I talk of excesses, adventure freaks, land grabbers, alcohol, tobacco and drug misuse.

He is a Maasai, a long way from home, the people around here are the Ameru, they eat locusts, termites, chicken and the most unpalatable of all, fish. They are his friends and he speaks to them in Kiswahili.

On a drive around the rhino sanctuary outside which the camp is located, we meet armed rangers, sitting in bushes, concealed from sight and the sun’s rays, Peterson speaks to them in Maa replying in quick succession to short questions asked with “Eey”. The traditional Maa protocol over, he talks about the animals that have been spotted.

Peterson can see rhino pug marks some distance from the car and says

40 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

many rhino have crossed along here.

He has to stop to show me the difference between elephant spoor and the claw marks of the rhino.

He sees them even when they are behind trees and eventually I am able to spot two rhinos in different areas of the thicket. The woodland is so lush, it conceals everything except what is to my imagination the wars between the plants and trees.

Some allelopathic tree exuding

chemicals to kill another, a leaf’s warning to its own species to exude toxins that taste and smell awful to approaching browsers and the fig creeping up the large trunk as yet still alive.

We observe grevy’s zebras and a mother and baby rhino, together in a lush papyrus swamp in the sanctuary through which Rhino River Camp is accessed. Just about 1000 feet above sea level, here

FEATURE

giant Baobabs, over 200 years old, reach across the overstory with tales immortalised by writers like David Njagi. In his book, “The last Mau Mau Fieldmarshalls”, he describes freedom fighters who were based in Meru National Park during Kenya’s struggle for independence between 1952 & 1963 using a Baobab tree as their meat store and hideout. The trees hollow could accommodate 15 adults.

“At Kina area in Meru National Park, we found a large baobab tree with a hollow trunk which we used as a kitchen. While we were there we were found by white colonial soldiers and a big battle ensued.

The exchange of fire was intense and the whole area was covered with smoke and dust. I was pushed to the edge of Tana River which was not far from the hollowed baobab tree and I had no alternative but to jump into the river. Once in the river, I was lucky to find a drifting log which I held onto and drifted to the other side of the river.”

The forests on the banks of the rivers drip with vines. The creeping tendrils of the strangling fig or sacred Mugumo tree, is where the spirits of ancestors reside.

For the Ameru whose ancestral lands are around the Nyambene hills which surround the views from the National park, the Mugomo tree houses spirits that should not be disturbed. In the Gikuyu who also live in central Kenya and for the Maasai, the Mugumo is in their origin stories.

Ficus natalensis is a tempestuous tree, starting its life as a soil-based seedling, later wrapping itself around another tree and eventually replacing the original tree with a hollow. Pollination is effectuated by a fig-wasp. While mostly one fig species is associated with one wasp species and vice versa, four wasp species were found to visit a single Ficus natalensis tree in Uganda.

Grevy's and Rhinos in Meru Swamp. TOP: Kingfisher on fence post Meru

In Meru National Park there are several species of Tsetse fly, that Peterson points out on the windscreen and whenever they bite him. I am wearing light khakis, greys and earthen tones that do not attract them.

Meru National park forms a network of animal corridors with neighbouring Bisanadi, Mwingi, Kora and Rahole reserves. Of all the reserves there is lodge accommodation only in Meru. Here 13 rivers feed the park. Rhino River Camp is located in its deep and savage wilderness along the Kindani river, which tumbles past five of its seven tents. Gentle rapids crash past the pool which at this altitude is naturally warm. Gamewatchers Safaris own Porini Camps who have

taken over Rhino River Camp. Since November last year, there’s been canvas sewing, painting, plumbing and repairing of decks onsite. Porini means wild and this landscape is confoundingly feral.

Vervet monkeys land on the decking, curious but shy. Carol my room steward, who is also a small but strong masseuse, tells me not to fear mosquitoes because strangely in this humid jungle, with its low altitude, flowing water and rampant vegetation, there are no mosquitoes.

I apply repellent anyway because I’ll be going to sit by the fire pit with a drink, where the air is stiller. www.porini.com Rupi Gill NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 41

FEATURE

F

ig trees were here when dinosaurs first roamed the planet. Ficus is a genus of some 850 species that exist world wide. Scientists have been studying the reverence for fig trees since the 1800s. They’ve found that myths from all around the world have helped preserve these trees.

The tree grows in the forests of East Africa which is a highly competitive space where every species must use what it has, to get what it needs. The environment has four layers. The forest floor is very dark and makes up the bottom layer. This is home to rodents and insectivores, fungi and bacteria.

Leaves, fruit and branches fall here and decompose quickly. A leaf that would otherwise take a year to rot will disappear in six weeks.

The next layer is the understory.

Shrubs and stunted trees with broad leaves grow here as taller trees prevent much light from reaching them. Huge leaves help absorb as much light as possible. Plants in this layer grow no taller than 15 feet.

Most insects, jaguars and leopards are found in this layer.

The canopy is the overstory, comprising the tops of all trees covering the forest. Trees in this layer typically grow as high as 100 feet and absorb lots of light. Many animals, snakes, tree frogs and toucans live in this abundant layer.

Finally, emergents make up the top layer, wide leafed and tall at 250 feet, they are evergreen hardwoods and home to monkeys, eagles, bats and butterflies.

The strangler fig or Mugumo has evolved to compete for forest resources by beginning its life as an epiphyte high in the canopy.

Epiphytes are plants that grow on top of other plants, though they do not harm their host. Instead, they get their nutrients from the air, water and sunlight. The strangler

42 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

Sacred Trees

sprouts from a small seed that gets to the canopy in the faeces of a monkey, bird or bat.

At this stage, the strangler grows upward, developing leaves to absorb sunlight. But unlike a regular epiphyte, the strangler fig also drops its aerial roots, enveloping the host tree, driving its gnarled roots into the ground.

The strangler fig helps itself to the sunlight and other nutrients the host tree needs, strangling it in the process. Ultimately, the host tree dies, leaving the strangler with a hollow trunk.

But it gives year round fruit, stabilises the soil from erosion and its roots form channels deep and wide, bringing ground water up to the surface for other life to exist. Birds, bats, reptiles and small mammals also live in its many nooks and crannies.

Its pollination is yet another dramatic story. Each species of Ficus has a corresponding specialised species of wasp that fertilises it. A female wasp forces her way into an immature fruit through a natural opening. She

FEATURE

Fig Fruit. RIGHT: strangler fig or Mugumo

loses her wings and antenae in the process, lays her eggs and dies. The fruit digests her. The male wasps hatch first, impregnate the females before they are born, tunnel their way out of the fruit and die. The females hatch and using the tunnel escape, carrying with them pollen.

They mature and enter another fig to continue the life cycle.

In some figs, a wasp that actively collects pollen in its sacs is forced to keep up its side of the bargain. A recent study by Cornell University found that the tree dumped the fruit, by dropping it if the female wasp

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 43

FEATURE

Fig Wasp

did not bring pollen in its sacs to pollinate the fruit. That is, if the fig did not get pollinated the wasp did not get protection for her eggs inside the ripening fruit.

Once the wasps have left the fig, the seeds ripen and the fruit matures. The fruits’ colour and scent attracts birds, bats and monkeys, who eat the figs and spread the seeds in their droppings.

Mike Shanahan in his first book, ‘Ladders to Heaven: How fig trees shaped our history, fed our imaginations and can enrich our future’ found fig trees everywhere at the centre of mythology and numerous traditional stories.

Frequently the trees were sacred, considered the home of the gods or even deities as themselves.

There were many parallels among cultures. For the Kikuyu, god created the first man and woman under a giant ‘mugumo’ tree. A story from Indonesia describes how two gods fashioned the first couple from a fig tree. In Christianity, the forbidden fruit Eve ate in the Garden of Eden 44 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

was, in the original Bible story, a fig. A Banyan tree, which is a fig, in Andhra Pradesh, India, now forms a leaf-covered scaffold of roots-turnedtree trunks that spans two hectares.

In many cultures in Africa, it is still taboo to cut down a fig tree. When President Barack Obama visited India in 2015, it was a fig he planted, as a sign of friendship between the US and India.

A social media site on Kalenjin culture, claimed that in many communities in African the Mugumo is revered and never played with.

Mugumo in Kikuyu is Mogoiywet in Kalenjin, Mogoi meaning never and iwit meaning play with.

Any time a a fig tree falls in Central Kenya, there is uncertainty and gloom among the Agikuyu community. They believe that there is looming disaster, death of a prominent person, severe drought and pestilences.

In Kalenjin a Mogoiyweet fig tree falling or being pruned is unimaginable. If by mistake someone cuts it down, elders rush to the tree and pour warm milk chanting in

union “Aiyo Kugo!” we are sorry our departed ancestors”.

The Kikuyus have a way of appeasing their ancestors and so have no worries as the wise elders of their community will provide direction.

The Maasai offer their libation on any fig tree in their locality and especially during Olng’esher, Emuratta (circumcision), Enkiama (marriage), Eokoto e-kule (milk-drinking ceremony) and Enkang oo-nkiri (meat-eating ceremony).

There are four known fig trees which are sacred in Kalenjinland and for many years elders used them to predict events. They are in Ang’ata Barrikoi,Trans-Mara, Toroso Primary school in Mt Elgon, Maridadi Farm in Endebes,Trans-Nzoia and one in Lorien,Laikipia. In decades past, elders would say that when one branch of the fig tree in Toroso touches down, a severe war would break out in Mt Elgon. And it did.

Edited by Rupi Gill

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Daily departure at 1100hrs from Seronera airstrip

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TRAVELER'S TALE

Travel Memoirs of 2019

By Harriet James

T

he first of my travel lessons this past year was in cultural tourism. I also increased the number of destinations which opened my eyes to other dimensions of life.

I visited various cultures to understand their way of life - way different than mine. I toured Samburu. They welcomed us with a dance from the young men, singing in a tight circle, flipping their hairs from side to side as they jump-stepped

46 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

forward, then the women, donned in colorful multi-stringed, beaded necklaces and bracelets followed urging us on to join in.

Together with the Maasai and the Turkana, the Samburu are some of the few African tribes to remain authentic to their traditional way of life. For instance, they are still nomads moving from one place to another in search of pasture, something that I feel should change.

So much do they value this way

of life that some parents opt not to take their boys to school and make them spend their lives taking care of livestock. They also practice polygamy as a man’s worth is measured by the number of women he can sustain and the amount of cattle he has.

According to history, the Samburu migrated from Sudan and settled north of Mount Kenya and south of Lake Turkana in the Rift Valley province of Kenya. They are similar

TRAVELER'S TALE

to the Maasai both belonging to the Maa speaking group of people.

Despite their shared vocabulary, the Samburu are distinguished by their speech’s speed, which is faster than the Maasai’s.

In another trip, I got to experience the Yaaku and their relatives, the Ilchamus. They two can be said to be the cousins of the Masaais and the struggle for land resources as well as the different cultures between the two made them settle in a different area. The Ilchamus settled around Lake Baringo for their love for fish, something which the Samburus consider as taboo.

Travelling made me grateful of the modern life I have, because I didn’t struggle to get an education, or have to fight female genital mutilation, or have to get married to an old man at a young age. One thing I have changed, is my habit of bargaining.

Locals in most rural areas, use the OPPOSITE AND THIS PAGE: Samburu community; Yaaku community; Anthony Bourdain

cash they earn from visitors, to support their families and it takes a long time before they see tourists who can buy their products. In addition to supporting the people you visit, why not deepen the connection by learning a few basics like how to say hi or thank you.

The ongoing efforts of conservation in Laikipia County marked the climax of my travels last year. Everywhere there is human – wildlife conflict as we encroach their habitats and

make them our own.

I got to go on a game drive with the lionscape rangers and learn about how they are preserving the number of lions in the area.

Laikipia’s lion population is the third in the country. Lion population is decreasing because livestock owners kill them when they attack their cattle. Currently, there are around 20,000 lions present in the country and their loss disturbs the food chain. Laikipia comprises of large

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 47

TRAVELER'S TALE

privately owned ranches as well as cattle based bomas. 70% of wildlife which lives outside government protected areas are not safeguarded

by Kenya Wildlife Services. So organizations like these assist in solving this issue. It was interesting just being with the rangers and hearing their stories on how they educate the communities on the significance of preserving the lions.

The lions have a tracking collar which assists the rangers in tracking where they are and alert the bomas whenever the lions pose any danger. If a collar lion crosses the boundaries, they get a notification via text that there is trouble coming.

I had a similar experience at Lewa conservancy. This place was sentimental to me because a year earlier, Anthony Bourdain, my all-time favorite travel film maker, had visited the place. The late Anthony Bourdain was an American celebrity chef and a gifted travel documentarian who focused on culture and people. I loved how he incorporated people in his travels and how he blended with every

48 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

Rangers with the two remaining female northern rhino's Najin and Fatu. BOTTOM: Victoria pride of lions at Loisaba Conservancy

race, faith, culture bringing out their stories, helping us understand the wider mission in travels. He made me grasp the true meaning of travel that it’s not just about where you’ve been to but mingling with the

people, trying out their experiences, understanding regions from their perspectives and what they go through. It’s so unfortunate that after all that he taught us, Anthony apparently ended his own life in a

TRAVELER'S TALE

Lionscape Rangers with their GPS tracking lions

hotel room after shooting one of his episodes: “Parts Unknown”.

We spent some time following a herd of elephants, taking photos, enjoying a breath of fresh air.

Compared to the elephants at the Tsavo National Park, I found these ones, enjoying their acacia leaves, to be relatively calm. Historically, the Tsavo elephants are wild because of their experiences with poachers who for the demand of their ivory has made them defensive. They have also experienced human wildlife conflicts, some communities kill them as a way of defending themselves and their crops. At Lewa, they are protected and I believe this sense of safety makes them friendly to visitors.

One important thing about elephants is that they are sensitive to noise and dangerous when alarmed. Never shout when they come near, nor make disturbing noises and approach carefully, when taking photos.

The Lewa marathon, based in Laikipia county, funds a few projects

like the Tsavo Trust, Grevy’s Zebra Trust, Maa Trust as well as the Lewa clinic which offer medical care at subsidized rates for nearly one million residents. Those who can’t afford it are given medication for free and the marathon money caters for it. It made me want to be more active and participate in marathons. I learned that for me, travel is not just pleasure but also a yearning to support projects that are making an impact on local communities.

Once upon a time, Lewa was a cattle ranch and then much later, became a guarded black rhino sanctuary. This has gained it a world-wide reputation. Laikipia doesn’t have national parks, but a network of extensive privately owned lands that allow animals to roam freely. Some put water everywhere, in dams and boreholes for animals to quench their thirst in dry seasons.

Other animals being conserved are the white rhino and the grevy’s zebra. Funds raised by the

conservancy go towards supporting armed rangers that safeguard the wildlife.

At Olpejeta, I stayed at the bush camp and was ecstatic when I finally managed to horse-ride with the rhinos. Last year as part of an international effort to save the Northern white rhino species, scientists announced that they had succeeded in creating two embryos of the near-extinct species.

The whole experience has been documented in a feature-length film dubbed KIFARU which premiered in October 2019. Scientists are now one step closer to saving the northern white rhino from complete extinction.

After a decade of traveling, my journey has just begun. Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater have been on my travel bucket list for a while. I also desire to catch a glimpse of the Murchison falls as well as Kidepo valley national park. Once done with the tours, I will be more than glad to share my experiences with all of you.

Have a great travel year in 2020!

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 49

REVIEW

The Expat News Reporter Words by Frances Woodhams, illustration by Harriet Stanes.

J

eremy stands in a down-at-heel part of an African capital with local camera man Isaiah. He clears his throat, smoothing down his hair in order to be camera ready, weighing up whether to don the bullet proof flak jacket and riot helmet that lie at his feet. Looking around at a scene of relative peace and calm, he decides against it.

“If you could just nudge that burning tyre a little to the right Isaiah? With your foot? Perfect.”

Jeremy heard reports of the street riot this morning but has arrived too late. Isaiah got hopelessly stuck in traffic (heavy camera equipment had prohibited the use of a motorbike taxi) and Jeremy arrived just as Ian from CNN was zooming away from the scene in a cab looking smug with a cappucino takeaway cup in hand (Ian’s runner, Cathy, is always a diamond for finding a world-class cup of coffee whilst in extremis).

“What’s this place called again?”

Jeremy asks Isaiah, “Madeira, no Mandera is it? What?”

Isaiah raises his eyes to heaven before exchanging a polite greeting with a former school master who happened to be walking past. Isaiah knows Mandera well, since he used to live there.

Sadly it’s beyond Jeremy’s skills of persuasion to get the locals to take up arms once again, so this one burning tyre will have to do.

Jeremy does, however, manage to incorporate two women arguing over a stand pipe into the back of one shot, which is a lucky fluke. As Jeremy and Isaiah go about their 50 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

REVIEW

business, a knot of men, women and children have gathered to stand and watch with disarming curiosity. One man picks his nose contemplatively and a Maasai leans on his stick as Jeremy instructs Isaiah to lie on the ground and take footage skyward, through dwindling flames, to be cut

into the news feature later.

Nothing has ever been the same since the political unrest of 2017 which was Jeremy’s moment to shine. Those were the days; dashing from election tallying centre to protest rally in quick succession. As news broke, Jeremy was fronting

international broadcasts before being outflanked and outranked by ‘big gun’ reporters arriving business class from London when the story went global. International news teams set up camp at the Serena Hotel for a full three weeks, existing on whisky on the rocks and speculating over whether this was going to be ‘another Rwanda’. Once holy of holies, Orla Guerlin, arrived, Jeremy was demoted from news reporter to general dogs body. There was also the embarrassing debacle of Jeremy leading the UK news team to the wrong venue for the President’s first official press statement. Following that, the entire BBC team had to watch helplessly as events were streamed live on CNN. Back to Mandera and a tousled boy in a poor state of dress emerges, whistling, from a tin roofed shack to take a leisurely pee al fresco. The clatter of cooking pans, scolding voice and the smell of cooking oil, implies that a midday meal is on the go. Jeremy takes up his microphone, issuing instructions to his cameraman; “Isaiah, pan over to me, making sure you get that child in the background.”

Isaiah’s camera starts rolling and Jeremy broadcasts in low tones; “It’s midday in Mandera slum and a sense of utter hopelessness pervades…”

The boy goes back inside his house but not before spiritedly kicking about a homemade football in the doorway. Isaiah packs away his camera. The crowd, now losing interest in the strange interlopers, melts happily away into a maze of alleyways leading to homesteads, bars, roadside shops and salons.

The pervading sound of music from vernacular radio stations signifying that life continues as normal.

As part of a series of expat stereotypes this story was first printed in the UK Telegraph.

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 51

TRAVELER'S TALE

Airkenya staff celebrate end of 2019 cowboy style

From Left: Airkenya’s Maureen Maitai, Lucy Kiuna - Marketing, Phylis Wanyoike - Human Resources, Catherine Kariuki - Quality department and Grace Wamboi killing the dress code for the night.

Geoffrey Oketch from Engineering entertaining the night

Joy Mwangi and Verah Kemunto of reservations

From Left: Eric Kimani - operations, Capt. Dino Bilseti Airkenya’s GM and Nicholas Rotich - IT showcase best dressed men for the night.

52 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

ENGLISH PRESS

AIRKENYA FLIGHT SCHEDULE 2020 FROM

TO

AMBOSELI Wilson Amboseli

Amboseli Wilson

Depart Arrive 0730 0815

0805 0850

NOTES See notes (a) &(b)

Connection: The Amboseli Wilson service connects to Nanyuki, Lewa Downs, Samburu, Meru,Loisaba, Masai Mara and Kilimanjaro services

KILIMANJARO Wilson Kilimanjaro Kilimanjaro Wilson

1315 1425

1410 1520

LEWA DOWNS Wilson Wilson Lewa Downs Lewa Downs

Lewa Downs Lewa Downs Wilson Masai Mara

0830 0915 1025 1005

0955 1015 1240 1130

LOISABA Wilson Wilson Loisaba Loisaba

Loisaba Loisaba Wilson Mara

0830 0915 1055 1005

0955 1045 1240 1130

0800 1030 1400 0845 1115 1445 0845 1205

0840 1110 1440 1015 1300 1615 0930 1225

See notes (a) &(b)

Connection: Many of our morning inbound services conect to Kilimanjaro service, passengers can also connect Regional Air services to Arusha, Manyara, Seronera and Grumeti at 1430hrs.

MASAI MARA + MIGORI Wilson Masai Mara Wilson Masai Mara Wilson Masai Mara Masai Mara Wilson Masai Mara Wilson Masai Mara Wilson Masai Mara Migori Migori Masai Mara

See notes (a), (b),( c) See notes (d) ,(e)

See notes (a), (b),(c) & (d) See notes (d) ,(e)

See notes (a), (b), (c)

See note (g)

*** Additional flight operating between 01st July - 30th September

Meru Meru Wilson Nanyuki Samburu Masai Mara

0830 0915 1125 1125 0935 0935

0925 1115 1240 1150 0955 1130

NANYUKI Wilson Wilson Nanyuki Nanyuki Nanyuki

Nanyuki Nanyuki Wilson Meru Masai Mara

0830 0915 1200 1000 1030

0905 0950 1240 1115 1130

SAMBURU Wilson Wilson Samburu Samburu

Samburu Samburu Wilson Masai Mara

0830 0915 1055 1005

0955 1045 1240 1130

LOW SEASON HIGH SEASON 01 Apr - 30 Jun 21 Dec - 31 Mar 01 Nov - 20 Dec 01 Jul - 31st Oct Valid from 21/12/2019 to 20/12/2020

See notes(a),(b),(c),(d)

See notes(a),(b),(c),(d) See notes (a), (b), (e) See notes (d), (e)

See notes(a),(b),(c),(d) See notes(a),(b),(c),(d) See notes (d), (e)

see note (a), (b ), (c), (d) & (e)

TO

Depart Arrive

MARA - SERENGETI VIA MIGORI/TARIME Masai Mara Tarime 0845 1040 Tarime Fort Ikoma 1100 1205 Tarime Tarime Tarime Tarime Tarime Tarime Tarime Tarime Tarime Tarime

Grumeti Kogatende Lamai Lobo Manyara*** Ndutu Sasakwa Serengeti South Seronera Singita

1100 1100 1100 1100 1100 1100 1100 1100 1100 1100

1205 1115 1145 1205 1300 1150 1205 1205 1205 1205

NOTES

See note (a), (b), (c), (f), (g) & (h)

See notes (a),(b),(c), (f),(g),(h)

The same fares can be applied if clients begin their journies from Serengeti ***Call reservations for bookings into Manyara

MARA - UGANDA VIA KISUMU/ENTEBBE Masai Mara Kisumu 0845 0950 Kisumu Entebbe 1030 1130 Entebbe Kisumu 1215 1315 Kisumu Masai Mara 1355 1430 Masai Mara Entebbe 0845 1130 Entebbe Masai Mara 1215 1430 Masai Mara Kihihi (BINP) 0845 1355 Kihihi Mara 0945 1430 Masai Mara

Kasese/ Mweya 0845 (QENP) Masai Mara 1020

1435

Masai Mara Semiliki

Semiliki Masai Mara

0845 1020

1435 1430

Masai Mara

Bugungu

0845

1330

Masai Mara

Pakuba/ Chobe 0845 (MFNP) Kidepo (KVNP) 0845

1330

Kasese/ Mweya

WILSON - MASAI MARA ADDITIONAL* Wilson Masai Mara 1530** 1610** Masai Mara Wilson 1620 1745 MERU Wilson Wilson Meru Meru Meru Meru

FROM

Masai Mara

See notes (a) & (b)

1430

1445

QENP - Queen Elizabeth National Park; BINP - Bwindi Impenetrable National Park; KVNP - Kidepo Valley National Park; MFNP - Murchinson Falls National Park Flights to Semliki, Bugungu, Pakuba, Chobe and Kidepo requires Minimum 4 pax NOTES a) Daily Service b) Minimum 2 pax to operate c) Services operates into Multiple Airstrips and timings may vary depending on aircraft routing d) Flights from Northern Destinations can route Via Wilson during the low season to connect Masai Mara departure at 1400hrs e) One Direction Service f) Regional Air, Auric Air and Coastal Aviation operate Tarime to Serengeti service; Arrival times at the various aistrips in Serengeti may vary depending on aircraft routing g) All ground transfers from Migori to Tarime will be handled by Airkenya, booking to be made as Mara - Tarime h) Flight times arriving Serengeti are based on Regional Air services, timings may vary depending on aircraft routing and if booked on alternate Tanzanian partners.

Contact charter desk if schedule flights don’t fit your itinerary on charters@airkenya.com

54 | NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020

Tel: +254 (0)20 391 6000 / +254 (0) 20 3925000 Email: info@airkenya.com / resvns@airkenya.com

www.airkenya.com

AIRKENYA AIRCRAFT FLEET

DASH-7 Manufacturer: Crew: Passengers: Description: No in Fleet:

Dehavilland, Canada 2 pilots and 1 flight attendant Maximum 50 Pressurized A STOL (short take-off & landing) aircraft ideal for African bush flying 2 NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 55

TWIN OTTER Manufacturer: Crew: Passengers: Description: No in Fleet:

Dehavilland, Canada 2 pilots Maximum 18 A STOL (short take-off & landing) aircraft with fixed undercarriage for African bush flying 3

CESSNA CARAVAN Manufacturer: Cessna Aircraft Company, USA Crew: 2 pilots Passengers: Maximum 11 Description: Aircraft ideal for African bush flying No in Fleet: 4

REGIONAL AIR SERVICES FLIGHT SCHEDULE

Valid from 1st January to 31st December 2020 FROM

TO

ETD

ETA

FROM

TO

Arusha AM

Fort Ikoma Grumeti Kogatende Lobo Manyara Ndutu*** Sasakwa Seronera SGS Wasso

08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00 08:00

10:05 09:30 09:55 09:25 08:25 09:05 10:05 10:30 TBA 09:55

Seronera AM

Dar 11:00 15:20 Low and Mid season only

Grumeti * Kilimanjaro Manyara Sasakwa * Seronera

15:00 13:00 15:00 15:00 15:00

16:30 13:15 15:25 16:55 17:05

Arusha PM

LOW AND MID SEASON (1ST MARCH -31ST MAY AND 1ST NOVEMBER 15TH DECEMBER 2020) Arusha Dar Arusha Zanzibar Zanzibar

Dar Arusha Zanzibar Dar Arusha

13:00 15:00 13:00 15:00 15:00

15:20 17:40 14:35 15:20 17:40

Grumeti ** Kilimanjaro Kogatende Lobo Manyara Sasakwa ** Tarime

Grumeti AM

Dar Arusha Zanzibar Dar Arusha

15:00 17:00 15:00 16:30 16:30

16:40 18:00 16:00 16:40 18:00

Arusha

09:50

12:15

Dar 09:50 High season only

13:10

09:50 09:50 09:50 16:45 09:50 09:50 08:15 09:50

13:10 10:10 10:35 17:55 11:20 10:00 09:15 10:30

Zanzibar 09:50 High season only

12:30

Kilimanjaro PM

Kogatende AM

Zanzibar 11:00 High season only

12:35

17:20 17:20

18:30 17:55

Lobo AM

Arusha

09:45

12:15

Dar 09:45 High season only

13:10

Manyara AM

Arusha Grumeti * Manyara Sasakwa * Seronera

14:30 14:30 14:30 14:30 14:30

14:45 16:30 15:25 17:25 17:05

Manyara PM

Arusha

10:00

12:15

Ndutu AM

Dar 10:00 High season only

13:10

13:10

Dar 10:15 15:20 Low and Mid season only Kilimanjaro Kogatende Lobo Manyara Ndutu *** Seronera Tarime

10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 08:15

13:15 TBA TBA 11:15 11:20 10:30 09:15

Zanzibar 10:15 High season only

12:35

Zanzibar 10:15 14:35 Low and Mid season only 10:00

12:15

Arusha

Grumeti Kilimanjaro Kogatende Manyara Ndutu *** Sasakwa ** Seronera Tarime

Dar 10:15 15:20 Low and Mid season only

09:45 09:45 09:45 09:45 09:45 09:45 09:45 08:15

10:25 13:15 09:55 11:35 10:15 10:05 10:30 09:15

Zanzibar 09:45 High season only

12:35

Fort Ikoma AM

Arusha **

13:10

Arusha

11:50

12:15

Dar 11:50 High season only

16:40

08:40 08:40 11:50 08:40 08:40 08:40 08:40 08:40 07:40

10:05 09:30 13:15 09:25 10:20 09:05 10:05 10:30 09:15

Zanzibar 11:50 High season only

16:00

Zanzibar 11:50 14:35 Low and Mid season only Arusha * Grumeti * Sasakwa *

18:05 15:40 15:40

18:30 16:30 16:55

Arusha ***

11:35

12:15

Dar *** 11:35 High season only

16:40

Grumeti Kilimanjaro Lobo Manyara Ndutu *** Sasakwa ** Seronera Tarime

10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 08:15

10:25 13:15 TBA 11.35 TBA 10:15 10:30 09:15

Grumeti *** Kilimanjaro *** Kogatende *** Lobo *** Manyara *** Sasakwa ** Seronera *** Tarime ***

09:20 11:35 09:20 09:20 11:35 09:20 09:20 08:15

09:50 13:15 10:00 09:50 12:00 09:50 10:30 09:15

Zanzibar 10:00 High season only

12:35

Zanzibar *** 11:35 High season only

16:00

12:35

12:15

Dar 10:15 High season only

12:15

Dar *** 11:35 15:20 Low and Mid season only

12:15

ETA

10:15

10:00

Dar 10:00 15:20 Low and Mid season only

11:00

ETD

Arusha

Dar 10:15 High season only

Fort Ikoma Grumeti Kilimanjaro Kogatende Lobo Ndutu *** Sasakwa Seronera Tarime

18:30 17:55 16:55 17:05

Arusha

TO

Sasakwa AM

Dar 09:45 15:20 Low and Mid season only

Dar 11:50 15:20 Low and Mid season only

16:45 16:45 16:45 16:45

Dar 11:00 High season only

FROM

Fort Ikoma AM

Zanzibar 09:45 14:35 Low and Mid season only

Arusha * Manyara * Sasakwa * Seronera *

Zanzibar 10:00 14:35 Low and Mid season only Seronera AM

10:00 13:15 09:55 09:50 11:35 09:45 09:15

Arusha * Manyara *

Zanzibar 09:50 14:35 Low and Mid season only Grumeti PM

09:30 11:00 09:30 09:30 11:00 09:30 08:15

Seronera PM

Dar 09:50 15:20 Low and Mid season only Kilimanjaro Kogatende Lobo Manyara Ndutu *** Sasakwa Tarime Seronera

ETA

Zanzibar 11:00 14:35 Low and Mid season only

HIGH SEASON SCHEDULE (1ST JUNE - 31ST OCTOBER 2020) Arusha Dar Arusha Zanzibar Zanzibar

ETD

Ndutu AM

Zanzibar *** 11:35 14:35 Low and Mid season only

Seronera

Arusha 12:45 High season only

13:40

SGS

Arusha

TBA

TBA

Grumeti Kilimanjaro Lobo Manyara Ndutu Sasakwa Tarime Zanzibar High season only

– 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 – 08:15 10:15

– 13:15 TBA 11:35 11:20 – 09:15 12:35

Zanzibar 10:15 14:35 Low and Mid season only Kilimanjaro PM

Kogatende Lobo Ndutu

14:30 14:30 14:30

TBA TBA TBA

Arusha PM

Ndutu Kogatende Lobo

15:00 15:00 15:00

TBA TBA TBA

Tarime

Arusha Fort Ikoma Grumeti Kogatende Lobo Manyara Ndutu Sasakwa Seronera SGS

11:30 11:30 10:30 10:30 10:30 11:30 10:30 10:30 10:30 11:30

12:50 TBA TBA 10:45 TBA TBA TBA TBA 11:25 TBA

Arusha Grumeti Kilimanjaro Lobo Kogatende Manyara Ndutu Sasakwa Seronera

Nairobi, Wilson

13:00 09:50 14:25 09:45 10:00 11:50 11:35 10:15 11:00

15:20 15:20 15:20 15:20 15:20 15:20 15:20 15:20 15:20

Nairobi, Wilson

Arusha Grumeti Kilimanjaro Manyara Sasakwa Seronera

13:15 13:15 13:15 13:15 13:15 13:15

14:45 16:30 14:10 15:25 17:25 17:05

*ON REQUEST means we will only operate where there is sufficient traffic to justify the operation and timing or when extra cost is covered **ON INDUCEMENT means flights which we will operate at scheduled rates for 8 passengers or more ***SEASONAL is June to October and December to March ****TBA means time to be advised depending on flight plan that day A minimum of 2 pax is required for RAS to operate into any airstrip that’s not on inducement or request.

Operations: ops@regional.co.tz / +255 (0)753 500 300 / (0)786 021 102 Reservations: resvns@regional.co.tz / +255 (0)754 285 754 / (0)784 285 753

www.regionaltanzania.com

REGIONAL AIR FLEET

CESSNA GRAND CARAVAN C208B Manufacturer: Crew: Passengers: Description: Fleet No.:

Cessna Aircraft Company, USA 2 pilots Maximum 12 STOL Aircraft with fixed undercarriage ideal for African bush flying 1

DHC 6-300 (TWIN OTTER) Manufacturer: Crew: Passengers: Description: No in Fleet:

Dehavilland, Canada 2 pilots Maximum 18 STOL (short take-off & landing) aircraft with fixed landing gear ideal for African bush flying 1

BOMBARDIER DHC 8-202 (DASH 8) Manufacturer: Crew: Passengers: Description: Fleet No.:

Bombardier 2 pilots 1 flight attendant Maximum 37 Pressurized cummuter aircraft 1

AEROLINK FLIGHT SCHEDULE 2020 Murchison falls National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park Daily Service

From Entebbe Kisoro

To Kisoro Entebbe

Depart 0700 0825

Daily Service

Arrive 0810 1125

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Kisoro airstrip passengers can connect to:- Kihihi, Mweya, Kasese and Semliki airstrips

See note (a, b & h) See note (g)

To Bugungu Entebbe

Depart 1200 1315

Arrive 1300 1615

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Bugungu airstrip passengers can fly to:- Kasese, Mweya, Kihihi

Murchison falls National Park

From Entebbe Kihihi

To Kihihi Entebbe

Depart 0700 0945

Arrive 0845 See note (h) 1125

Entebbe Kihihi

Kihihi Entebbe

1015 1140

1125 1330

See note (c)

Entebbe Kihihi

Kihihi Entebbe

1200 1445

1440 1615

See note (e)

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Pakuba/Chobe airstrips passengers can fly to:- Kasese, Mweya, Kihihi and Semliki airstrips

See note (g)

Murchison falls National Park - QENP, BINP &SNP

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Kihihi Airstrip passengers can connect to:- Kisoro, Mweya, Kasese and Semliki airstrips

From Entebbe Mbarara

To Mbarara Entebbe

Depart Arrive 1015 1100 1245 1330

See Note (c & i)

To Kasese/Mweya Entebbe

Depart 0700 1020

Arrive 1005 1125

Entebbe Kasese/Mweya Kasese/Mweya Entebbe

1015 1220

1205 1330

Entebbe Kasese/Mweya

1200 1420

1415 1615

Kasese/Mweya Entebbe

See note (h) See note (c) See note (e)

Masai Mara * Kisumu

*Kisumu Masai Mara

0845 1355

0950 1430

*Kisumu Entebbe

Entebbe Kisumu

1030 1215

1130 1315

Arrive 1005 See note (d & h) 1125

Entebbe Semliki

Semliki Entebbe

1015 1220

1205 1330

See note (c & d)

Entebbe Semliki

Semliki Entebbe

1200 1420

1415 1615

See note (d & e)

Depart 1230 1500

Arrive 1445 1630

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Semliki airstrip passengers can connect to:- Mweya, Kasese, See note (g) Kihihi and Kisoro airstrips

Kidepo Valley National Park

Tel: +256 317 333000

Daily Service

Arrive 1130 1430

Depart 0700 1020

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing

See note (d)

See note (d)

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing

Depart 0845 1215

To Semliki Entebbe

To Kidepo Entebbe

Arrive 1415

To Entebbe Masai Mara

From Entebbe Semliki

From Entebbe Kidepo

Depart 1315

Arrive 1300 1615

From Masai Mara Entebbe

Semuliki National Park

Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

To Kasese/Mweya Kihihi/Semliki

Depart 1200 1315

Masai Mara-Entebbe

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing From Kasese/Mweya airstrips passengers can fly to:- Mweya/Kasese, See note (g) Kihihi, Kisoro and Semliki airstrip

Daily Service

To Pakuba/Chobe Entebbe

QENP - Queen Elizabeth National Park (Kasese and Mweya airstrips) BINP - Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (Kihihi airstrip) SNP - Semuliki National Park (Semliki airstrip)

Queen Elizabeth National Park From Entebbe Kasese/Mweya

From Entebbe Pakuba/Chobe

From Bugungu/ Pakuba/Chobe

Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing Daily Service)

Daily Service

Daily Service

Lake Mburo National Park Daily Service

See note (d)

and Semliki airstrips

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park Daily Service

From Entebbe Bugungu

See note (d, e and f)

info@aerolinkuganda.com

Operates with minimum 2 pax *Routes Via Kisumu for Immigration

From Masai Mara passengers can fly to:- Kihihi, Mweya, Kasese, Semliki, Pakuba, Bugungu, Chobe and Kidepo airstrips

Notes a) Kisoro flights are subject to the prevailing weather conditions and strictly morning flights. b) Kisoro has a surcharge of USD 70 per person c) Mid morning daily flight except April, May and November d) Will operate with minimum of 4 pax e) PM service from Entebbe may route via Murchison Falls National Park subject to loads. f) Other days of the week are available on request subject to aircraft availability. g) Internal flights between national parks on request at seat rate eg Kisoro to Kihihi, Kasese to Kihihi, Kasese to Kisoro. h) Passengers can connect onwards to Masai Mara Via Entebbe and Kisumu for Immigration i) Mbarara mid-morning schedule flights available on request J) Jinja to Kihihi/Kasese/Mweya flight on request at a surcharge of $ 950

aerolinkuganda

www.aerolinkuganda.com

@aerolinkuganda

AEROLINK AIRCRAFT FLEET

CARAVAN Manufacturer: Crew: Passengers: Description: No in Fleet:

Cessna Aircraft Company, USA 2 pilots Maximum 11 Aircraft ideal for African bush flying 3

KISUMU

SERENGETI SOUTH

MALINDI

DIANI

KEY:

THROUGH FARE AIRKENYA NETWORK REGIONAL AIR NETWORK AEROLINK NETWORK

1. Amboseli 2. Kilimanjaro 3. Lewa Downs 4. Masai Mara 5. Meru 6. Nairobi

7. Nanyuki 8. Samburu 9. Migori 10. Loisaba 11. Kisumu 12. Entebbe

1. Arusha 2. Dar es Salaam 3. Fort Ikoma 4. Grumeti 5. Kilimanjaro 6. Kogatende 7. Lake Manyara 8. Lamai

9. Lobo 10. Ndutu 11. Sasakwa 12. Serengeti South 13. Seronera 14. Wasso 15. Zanzibar 16 Tarime

1. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - Kihihi and Kisoro airstrips 2. Queen Elizabeth National Park - Kasese, Mweya and Semliki airstrips 3. Murchinson Falls National Park - Pakuba, Bugungu and Chobe airstrips 4. Kidepo National Park - Kidepo Airstrip 6. Entebbe - Mara Via Kisumu

NAIROBI Airkenya Express Limited, Wilson Airport P.O. Box 30357 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Telephone numbers: Call Centre (Reservations) +254 (0)20 391 6000

Airkenya Express

@airkenya_official Administration:

(Operations, Sales Marketing & Accounts) +254 (0) 20 3925000, 6005745/6, +254 (0) 206005730 Mobile: +254 (0) 721 415346, 0733 731865, +254 (0) 727 131977 E-mail: resvns@airkenya.com, operations@airkenya.com charters@airkenya.com & helicopters@airkenya.com

@AirKenyaExpress

www.airkenya.com

AEROLINK

www.aerolinkuganda.com

www.regionaltanzania.com

The • • • •

Madaraka Express Passenger Service is proud to introduce the below services: The long distance passenger service between Mombasa Terminus and Suswa station in Suswa town, Narok County. This shall run on Fridays and Sundays.

The Madaraka Express Commuter Service which operates on Mondays to Fridays and links Ngong town and Ongata Rongai town via Nairobi Terminus to: Nairobi Central Business District via the Nairobi Commuter Rail Service Link train or; Mombasa City via the Madaraka Express Inter-county and Express Passenger trains.

The schedules for the above services indicating the departures and arrivals are as below: FROM NGONG TOWN TO NAIROBI TERMINUS TRAIN 1 TRAIN 2 TRAIN 3 TRAIN 4 NGONG 5:40 12:20 17:30 20:10 RONGAI 5:53 – 5:57 12:33-12:37 17:43 – 17:47 20:23 – 20:27 NAIROBI TERMINUS 6:20 13:00 18:10 20:50

FROM NAIROBI TERMINUS TO NGONG TOWN TRAIN 1 TRAIN 2 TRAIN 3 NAIROBI TERMINUS 10:00 14:00 18:50 RONGAI 10:23 – 10:27 14:23-14:27 19:13 – 19:17 NGONG 10:40 14:40 19:30

Customers using the Ngong/Ongata Rongai to Nairobi Terminus Madaraka Express Commuter service can: • Proceed to Athi River, Emali, Kibwezi, Mtitio Andei, Voi, Miasenyi, Mariakani or Mombasa using the Madaraka Express Passenger Service Inter-County train which departs Nairobi Terminus at 8:20 am • Proceed straight to Mombasa aboard the Madaraka Express Passenger Service Express train which departs Nairobi Terminus at 2:35 pm.

• Proceed to Nairobi town using the Nairobi Commuter Rail Service Link service which is available at 6:35 am and 14:00 pm every day.

• Customers who wish to use rail services to Ongata Rongai and Ngong towns from the CBD can use the Nairobi Commuter Rail Service link train which leaves the Central Railway station at 6:35 am, 12:00 pm and 17:30 pm • The Customers traveling via the Madaraka Express Passenger train from Mombasa to Nairobi can also connect to Ongata Rongai town on Mondays to Fridays and to Maai Mahiu and Suswa on Fridays and Sundays.

FRIDAYS: COMMUTER SERVICE AND LONG DISTANCE PASSENGERS SERVICE TRAIN SCHEDULE On Fridays, the Madaraka Express Passenger Service shall combine the commuter service and the long distance passenger service. The Commuter rail service shall operate as per the normal schedule provided above. The long distance passenger service shall operate as below: NAIROBI TERMINUS RONGAI NGONG MAAI MAHIU SUSWA

FROM NAIROBI TERMINUS TO SUSWA TOWN 14:00 14:23-14:27 14:40-14:44 15:16-15:20 15:45

FROM SUSWA TOWN TO NAIROBI TERMINUS SUSWA 16:25 MAAI MAHIU 16:46-16:50 NGONG 17:26-17:30 RONGAI 17:43-17:47 NAIROBI TERMINUS 18:10

SUNDAYS: LONG DISTANCE PASSENGER SERVICE TRAIN SCHEDULE On Sundays, we shall only have the long distance passenger service between Nairobi Terminus in Nairobi County and Suswa station in Suswa town, Narok County. Customers using this service can catch the Express train to Mombasa or the Nairobi Commuter Rail service link train to the Nairobi Central Railway Station. The Schedule is as below: FROM NAIROBI TERMINUS TO SUSWA TOWN NAIROBI TERMINUS 09:10 RONGAI 09:33-09:37 NGONG 09:50-09:54 MAAI MAHIU 10:26-10:30 SUSWA 10:55

FROM SUSWA TOWN TO NAIROBI TERMINUS SUSWA 11:35 MAAI MAHIU 11:56-12:00 NGONG 12:36-12:40 RONGAI 12:53-12:57 NAIROBI TERMINUS 13:20

The fares to be charged for the above services are as tabulated below: FROM NGONG STATION ONGATA RONGAI STATION NGONG STATION RONGAI STATION ONGATA RONGAI NGONG STATION RONGAI STATION SUSWA STATION NAIROBI TERMINUS NAIROBI TERMINUS

TO RONGAI STATION NAIROBI TERMINUS NAIROBI TERMINUS NGONG STATION MAI MAHIU STATION MAI MAHIU STATION SUSWA STATION MAI MAHIU STATION MAI MAHIU STATION SUSWA STATION

ECONOMY 50 KSH 100 KSH 100 KSH 50 KSH 100 KSH 100 KSH 100 KSH 100 KSH 200 KSH 200 KSH

FIRST CLASS 100 KSH 200 KSH 200 KSH 100 KSH 500 KSH 500 KSH 500 KSH 200 KSH 650 KSH 650 KSH

Commuter services are not available on weekends and public holidays

NDEGE NEWS MARCH - MAY 2020 | 63

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+254 703 048 000

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