Wildlife and medicinal plants abound in Kakamega Forest

Kakamega Forest is the only surviving rainforest in Kenya.

Eighty per cent of plants in the forest are medicinal, and the residents of Kakamega County use them to treat malaria, prostate cancer, and common colds, among other diseases.

The popular chewable mukombero plant roots sold on the streets of Nairobi during traffic jams, and which the public believes are health supplements and aphrodisiacs are found here.
300 species of birds

History has it that the forest once stretched from western Kenya, across East and Central Africa to the coastline of West Africa.

The forest attracts local and international scientists and researchers.

It has more than 300 species of birds, 300 species of plants, 400 species of butterflies and seven species of primates.

The forest is an ornithologist’s ideal place, where rare bird species are found.

They include the great blue turaco, the blue-headed bee-eater, yellow-bellied wattle-eye and the African shrike-flycatcher.

The mammals of Kakamega Forest include primates, bush bucks, red and blue duikers, bush pigs, porcupines, hammer-headed fruit bats, tree pangolins and mongoose.

MAMA MUTERET
The forest is home to a 357-year-old umbrella tree, scientifically called Maesopsis eminii.

It stands securely in the southern part of the forest.

The residents call the tree Mama Muteret. It is 47 metres tall and about a metre in diameter.

The Kakamega Forest is divided into two. The northern part, known as the national reserve, is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service.

The southern section, known as the forest reserve, is run by the Forestry Department.

Guided tours enable one to enjoy what the forest has to offer.

Professional tour guides explain the biodiversity of the tropical rainforest and cultural activities of the people who live nearby.

A visit to Kakamega County is never complete without making a tour of the forest, one of western Kenya’s star attractions.

It is 300 kilometres from Nairobi.