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Enhancing
Wild Life and Habitat Conservation
HISTORICAL
NOTES ON MWELE MDOGO HILL THE
SHIMBA NOTES (NUMBER THREE): ‘Due to its
relatively commanding elevation, the forested knoll known as Mwele Mdogo in the
south-western corner of the Shimba Hills National Reserve was used over the
course of some thirty-five years as a military stockade and observation post,
and several bloody and violent actions were fought there.
Isolona
cauliflora, a rare tree from Visitors
to-day may find this difficult to visualise, as they picnic or bird watch in the
cool gloom beneath the dense towering canopy of one of Kenya’s most
magnificent remaining rainforests. In the last
years of the 19th century Mwele Mdogo was used as a ‘bolt hole’ for the
Mburak faction of the wrangling coastal Arab families, including the Mazruis. One of the
most contentious issues was the pressure being applied to Mburak to abandon his
trade in slaves. On two
occasions British troops evicted Mburak from his hide-out at Mwele Mdogo after
assaults that resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. In 1895,
chasing Mburak as he fled towards Mwele from Gazi, a small British force
attempted to capture him but the tables were turned on them in an ambush. Captain
Lawrence, the leader of the routed British troops, was killed and his lonely
grave is still visible beneath a large casuarina beside the jetty at Shimoni. For a few
years in the early 20th century Mwele Mdogo knew peace, and reverted back to the
forest undergrowth. However, the story of Mwele Mdogo does not end at this time. Mwele was
refortified once again, not by Mburak (now living in exile in German East Africa
- Tanganyika) but by the British. In August
1914 the ‘Great War’ broke out. Captain
Arthur Wavell, Rtd, of the Welsh Regiment, raised ‘The
Arab Rifles’ from local volunteers in an urgent effort to
protect Mombasa and the Uganda-Railway from the increasingly frequent German
incursions. He built a
fortified observation post at Mwele to assist in the defence of Mombasa. However, in
early 1916, after many skirmishes, Wavell and many of his regiment were caught
out in a well-prepared German ambush near the’ Mkongani waterholes, just a few
kilometres from Mwele Mdogo. They are
buried where they fell, and the little war cemetery still survives deep in the
dry bush nyika, in the lee of the Shimba Hills.’ Opened in
1922 alongside Fort Jesus in Mombasa, the Wavell
Memorial Gardens were established ‘by subscription from the
grateful public of Mombasa, with an obelisk erected to the memory of those who
fell in ‘The Arab Rifles’. Mwele Mdogo
is now covered with magnificent stands of tropical rainforest. Enormous
trees and1 a dense under storey provide a shading canopy which conceals any
evidence of British military involvement here. However, a
short walk through the shrubs and trees reveals signs of the earlier conflicts:
many potshards lie scattered on the forest floor, and the pits where Mburak’s
followers hid when they were under siege are there, all virtually undisturbed
for over a hundred years. - James G Willson
DETAILS
OF THE HOLIDAY PICNIC ALL S.S.G. MEMBERS all invited to a HOLIDAY PICNIC at the Mkwumuji Picbic Site, Shimba Hills National Reserve on Sunday, December 29, 2002. Minimum Suggested Donation KSIi.300/- VERY INFORMAL From about NOON onwards RSVP 0127-3203385/ 0722-326151 (Maureen) by 22 Dec Option
ONE — Drive direct to Mkurumuji. From Ukunda head south on the
tarmac for 7.8 kms. At Mwabungo Market turn right onto dirt road, continue
uphill ignoring right fork at 3 kms. and all other offshoots right or left. At T-junction
with the hills in sight ahead, turn right and after 1 km. turn left at gap in
electric fence designated “Sable Valley Gate”. Continue to parking on left
for Mkurumuji Picnic Site. Option
TWO — Walk with armed escort from Elephant Look-out within the
Reserve via Sheldrick Falls to Mkurumuji. Walkers assemble Elephant Look-out 11
a m. You need someone in your party to drive the car round to Sable Valley and
join the picnic: exit Main Gate (Sable Entrance), drive via Kwale 10 kms.
downhill, at sign on left “Chirimani Mosque” turn right onto dirt Vuga
Track, then 22 kms. to Sable Valley Gate on right. Option
THREE — Walk from Elephant Look-out as above, but return on
foot to your car after the Picnic. A lot of uphill work, so not recommended for
the unfit or faint-hearted, or if you’ve had a beer or two! FOR ALL OPTIONS: 4 x 4 recommended but not strictly necessary with careful driving. Please bring campchairs and tables to augment Picnic Site benches. Tasty fingerfood picnic lunch will be provided, fresh fruit juice and Erdinger beer will be on sale: bring your own tipple if you prefer. Children
welcome but those under 12 not recommended for walk (about 4 kms.),, they could
bring swimsuits and play in safe, attractive stream at Picnic Site. No VIPs or
speeches, just a relaxed, social gathering. Reserve Entry Fees waived for this event for SSG cardcarriers, no Fees at Sable Valley Gate. If you haven’t yet got a Shimba Shirt or Sticker, now’s your chance! More info.: Text Messages to Fiona on 0722 268541 (conversation doesn’t work due to distance from antennae), or Maureen on 0127-3203385/ 0722-326151.
THANK
YOU 'BAOBAB TRUST'/ LUCIANA NEWSLETTER SPONSORSHIP: We extend gratitude to Baobab Trust for stepping into the breach and financing the printing of our previous Newsletter, No. 6. Now we say a heartfelt Thank You to Leisure Lodge Shopping Arcade which, through the agency of Member Luciana Parazzi, has funded the production and postage of this issue in full. More Sponsors eagerly sought!
Our
Contact: SHIMBA
SUPPORT GROUP: P.O. Box 10587, Mombasa 80101.
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Copyright © '96,
'97, '98, '99, '00, '01, '02, 2003. Coastweek Newspapers Ltd.
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