A Lion on the Loose--Why I love Kihuyo Village

Every Christmas, we all travel to our village—Kihuyo. It has been our family tradition for years. I love this village, not just because it is beautiful and peaceful, but mostly because its close proximity to the Aberdares national park provides numerous encounters with wildlife. Cool huh? Wait until you hear the stories.

When I got home on 23rd, mom was waiting with a beaming smile. “There is a lion on the loose!” Seriously?! I dropped my bags and we sat on the steps. My brother fetched me a cup of chai. “Tell me more! When was it spotted? Is it a he or a she? Has it eaten any goats? Or people for that matter?” Calm down!” Mum said laughing at my excitement. When you have lived in the United States where only squirrels and deer are regulars, a lion is definitely bound to make you go crazy with exhilaration.

“Are you sure it is a lion? It is probably a kanyutu.” My brother asked. Now, a kanyutu is a cross-breed between a lion and a hyena. Apparently it was bred in South Africa as part of a scientific study. The Kenyan government bought a few kanyutus. Don’t ask me why, maybe to attract tourists. They were transported to the Aberdares National Park, but one of them escaped and has been walking around our village (and surrounding ones) eating sheep and goats. Being a hybrid between a hyena and a lion, the kanyutu is extremely strong. It is rumored that its jaws and claws can demolish a wooden structure within a minute. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has been trying to capture it for three years to no avail. Villagers have been told not to kill it because it cost the government a lot of money. But goats=money for the villagers! The good thing about the kanyutu though, is that it is afraid of people. Explanation? People bred it, nurtured it and then put it in a cage. It figures people are intelligent and powerful.

Ok. Back to the lion story. Mom confirms that this time round, it is a lion and not a kanyutu that was sighted. It is a male, has eaten nobody’s goats. It hasn’t bothered the villagers. And true enough, everyone’s going about their business as if a lion is just a big kitty. Women are still going to look for firewood in the very woods that the lion is rumored to sleep. Ah, what a vacation. I was hoping that in my walk, I would meet this fellow. It is long since I saw a live one up close. But I hear that the KWS are planning to sedate him and transport him back to the national park. Poor lion, he is probably lost and is missing his wife and kids.

I wish other people would have such an experience. Of walking with the animals. I love that if I want to see an elephant, buffalo, a warthog, I simply walk alongside the park fence. I don’t even have to pay any park fees. Once in a while the baboons become too much of a nuisance, but it I still fun watching them steal stuff. This is my village.

Kihuyo village is located in Nyeri, Central Province. Not much is known about it. When I googled it, I didn’t find much written about this little heaven. From my mom’s home, I see the snow-capped Mt. Kenya to the South East, the Aberdare ranges to the North, and the Muhoya/Nyeri Hill to the West. Around me are rolling coffee and tea plantations, smaller farms and vineyards. The main food crops are maize, legumes (especially beans and peas), tubers (mainly potatoes), and vegetables (especially tomatoes, cabbage, spinach and kale).I see indigenous trees such as the Silver oak (Brachylaena huillensis), the Red stinkwood (Prunus africana), the East African yellow-wood (Podocarpus spp.), Mukui (Newtonia buchananii), Meru oak (Vitex keniensis) and the Mugumo. There are also imported trees such as eucalyptus, cypress and pine.

There are two streams around the village: Muraria and Nyamiru. These provide water to villagers, although there is running water in most homesteads courtesy of the Nyeri Water & Sewerage Company Limited. Most of the homes have electricity. Here are a few more facts about the village:

• It is about 62 miles (100 km) North of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital

• Mean temperature: 16°C / 61°F

• Latitude. -0.3833°, Longitude. 36.9000°

• Attitude: 1946 meters above sea level

• Nearby airports: Marrian Airstrip (Mweiga) 2nm N Code: FR31381, Nyeri Airstrip (NYR) 4nm E Code: HKNI

• Touristy places near Kihuyo: The Aberdare Country Club, Treetops Hotel, Baden-Powell grave, Wajee Nature Park, Mau-Mau Cave, Solio Ranch, Tafaria Lodge among others.



If you are interested in an eco-tourism project for my village, kindly shoot me an email.