Great education relics at Kitale Museum

A visit to Trans Nzoia County can never be complete without a tour of the historic Kitale Museum, located on the outskirts of Kitale Township.

First opened in 1924 to the public, the repository originally known as the Stoneham Museum is one of the biggest cultural heritage sites in the North Rift region.

It is a haven of relics that are of great educational and touristic attraction. “After the World War, Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Stoneham, a Second World War veteran and artefact collector, was awarded a piece of land in Trans Nzoia County by the Queen of England for the good job during the battles,” said Mr Kennedy Kimuna, the museum public relations officer.

Stoneham initially settled at the Cherang’any Hills, where he did farming. “Before Col Stoneham died, he willed funds as well as his entire collection to the Kenyan government so that they could establish the current national museum, which boasts of different species of flora and fauna,” the PRO says.

“He bequeathed his entire collection to the Kenyan Government and that is why the museum was relocated from Cherangany area to where it is now,” Mr Kimuna adds.

LEARNING SESSIONS

In 1974, a new museum building was founded in Kitale on a five-acre plot, making Kitale Museum the first regional museum to become part of the Kenya Museum Society.

Ms Donley Linda, a volunteer officer, was the first curator when Stoneham died.

Kitale Museum is the epicentre of one of the oldest attractions in Western Kenya region. “The museum means a lot to the people in Western Kenya region. It acts as a live classroom for students. There is modest space for camping and weddings equipped with cultural facilities,” Mr Kimuna says.

Most collections are items gathered from the Luhya, Maasai, Kalenjin, Pokot and Turkana communities. Learners from university, secondary and primary schools visit the museum.

At the gallery, visitors are able to witness Stoneham collection, traditional artefacts and heritage of the people of Western Kenya and parts of the Rift Valley.

EARLY MAN

The museum also showcases a lot of taxidermy mammals and the human evolution.

At the entrance of the museum is a gigantic model of a dinosaur, a 20th century mammal believed to have wandered the expansive and agriculturally rich Trans Nzoia County and believed to became extinct 66 million years ago.

“The museum is home to anthropological collections, including early man history,” explained Mr Kimuna.

The museum also holds animals such as nile crocodiles, leopard tortoises and various types of snakes such as the puff adder, rock python, gaboon viper and the rhinoceros viper.

The museum also comprises a number of traditional set up characterised by traditional houses ranging from different communities.

A number of weaponry, utensils and native musical instruments are also displayed in the museum.

The museum, also includes a nature trail, which was created in 1977 and is located towards the back of the museum.

LAND GRABBERS

The nature trail comprises one of the unique trails in Kenya. It is the only trail found within the tropical forest that habits different species of birds and also provides medicinal herbs.

It is a serene makeshift rainforest that allows visitors to the museum to experience what it’s like to be inside an actual Kenyan rainforest.

“It is in this museum that exists a cultural centre of its kind,” noted the Kitale Museum Curator, Mr Chole Kizilli.

The museum provides a conference hall for the community at a subsidised rate. It also provides sources of income to the community during major events and visits.

The biogas that comes from animal waste is also an important programme at the museum.

Some of the challenges afflicting the museum are encroachment and illegal logging. “However, efforts by the National Land Commission, the National Museums of Kenya and the community to get back the grabbed land has paid off,” noted Mr Kizilli

LOW REVENUE

Since the museum is located in town, there is pollution that come from poor drainage system, where sewage spill over the forest and affect the plants due to acidity.

Kitale Museum is one of the Museum devolved to the county government and has 35 staff. “Revenue generation is our main challenge in maintenance of the facility. Whatever is collected meets our recurrent expenditure, making it difficult to give it a facelift,” added Mr Kizilli.

The institution mainly depends on students from learning institutions to generate revenue to sustain its operations. April, May, June, July, August and September are the peak months.