Kivungoni Lake: Savour a gem in arid, dusty Kibwezi

Anyone visiting Kibwezi Town for the first time would easily rule out the likelihood of enjoying such pastimes as fishing, swimming, boat riding and bird watching.

They would be forgiven: The dusty town sits on an arid zone of Makueni County where rivers seldom last beyond the second week after it rains, and those that do, have rocky and muddy beds that discourage swimmers.

However, Kivungoni Lake, a man-made reservoir tucked in Muatini village, two kilometres off Kibwezi-Kitui road, and five kilometres from Kibwezi Town, reinvigorates the area, drawing scores of visitors, mostly lovers, and those interested in fishing and bird-watching.

Over the weekends, visitors access the lake using motorcycle taxis from the town, and spend hours on end lying on carpet grass or even reclining on the bamboo bushes, lost in bliss.

Shortly before sunset, couples walking hand in hand are swallowed by plantains at Kwa Kyei irrigation scheme-that draws water from the sprawling lake - through which a thoroughfare from Kivungoni snakes to join Kibwezi-Kitui road.

In addition, Kivungoni draws both individual musicians and choirs determined to tap on the greenery to enhance their videos shoots, upon acquiring permission from Dwa Sisal Estate that manages the reservoir.

On top of the lush vegetation and the cool breeze emanating from the lake, visitors are drawn by the rare species of fish-eating sea birds.

When I visited the area over the weekend, boat rides across the sprawling lake, capped the bliss at Kivungoni Lake.

Caught up in the thrill of rowing a fiberglass boat on a bamboo oar, I perspired when I realised that I was moving towards a floating crocodile.

“Do not panic, they are docile. The crocodiles we have here are well fed on fish and are friendly,” the guide assured.

Equally tantalising is the history of the lake, as told by the residents.

According to residents, the lake did not exist until an inhabited village, a hundred metres away, sunk and buried all the villagers except one family following a deluge in the area.

To tap on the resulting water mass, Dwa Sisal Estate created Kivungoni Lake in early 1900s, effectively creating a home to rare fauna and flora.