Where only the fittest crops survive

Travelling to Makueni from Nairobi, there are many clues as to what to expect at the end of your journey… and many of these pointers can be identified simply by studying the traffic.

Most of it comes in colourful matatus filled to the brim with equally colourful passengers, most of them dressed in exotic attire that give you a preview of the colours, sounds and sights of Ukambani.

As for the traffic itself, any observer would be astounded by the frenetic, busy-bee pace that characterises the human cargo.

A closer look at the racks of psychedelic manyangas of Ukambani, the carriers sagging with agricultural produce, shows they come from a rich agricultural region, teeming with free range chickens, goats, grains and legumes such as cow peas, beans, pigeon peas and green grams.

Delicious fruits

Also taking their place on those crowded racks are sack loads of the delicious fruits of all varieties that fill Nairobi market stalls. But their allure does not usually betray the unforgiving terrain on which they are grown in Ukambani.

Many of those delicious fruits come from different parts of Makueni, to the south-east of Machakos County, and which is bordered by three other counties — expansive Kitui to the east and north-east, Taita Taveta to the south-east, and Kajiado to the south and south-west of the county.

Wote Town, the capital of Makueni and home to the Makueni district headquarters is in the north-western part of the county, reachable either through Salama or Machakos towns.

The seven kilometres to the famous Katumani Agricultural Research Centre are rather rough, as the tarmacked road has seen better times, but the path beyond is smooth all the way to Wote, with surprisingly little traffic.

The topography of the countryside along the route is already a good indication of what to expect inside Makueni and is marked by gentle hills, in a sparsely populated and visibly dry country.

Only the toughest crops show any signs of surviving the drought that has ravaged Ukambani since the last few drops of rain fell in December last year.

It is generally pleasant country, though, and the time-tested resilience of the local people is evident all along the route. There is a nice highland feel all the way to Wote, and the afternoon breeze under the bright blue skies is welcoming as one traverses the countryside, with its terraced hills.

The north-western boundary of Makueni County is about 30 kilometres from Machakos town after a series of dramatic bends that tightly hug the contours of the surrounding hills. Wote, like other towns in Makueni, is now seriously parched.

Nowhere as sophisticated as Machakos, Wote is a relatively humble town, bustling with trade, including mitumba, but still has great importance as the headquarters of Makueni County, arguably the most picturesque in Ukambani.

With a population of 884,527 according to the 2009 census, Makueni is the least populated of the three counties that make up Ukambani, the others being Kitui and Machakos, each with a population well above the one million mark.

The county covers 7,966 square kilometres, and is home to Makueni, Kibwezi, Mbooni, Kilome and Kaiti constituencies. These constituencies have over the years provided the setting for epic political battles.

Today they are represented by such well-known politicians as Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo (Mbooni), John Harun Mwau (Kilome), Phillip Kaloki (Kibwezi), Gedion M. Ndambuki (Kaiti) and Peter Kiilu (Makueni).

Indeed, they have in the past also attracted the attention of such vanquished politicians as Kivutha Kibwana, retired army boss Gen Jackson Mulinge, Ms Agnes Ndetei and the vastly entertaining Kalembe Ndile, among many others.

Its location on Mombasa Road gives it vital strategic importance, and Makueni is home to some of the most famous and historically important towns, having been a stopping point during the building of the Kenya-Uganda Railway.