Above: Sabaki Estuary. Copyright Rupi Mangat
From the archives: May 2010
On the mudflats of the Sabaki, a strong sun beats down so fierce that it makes the water over the sand sparkle. On the bridge above, cars and matatus speed over the estuary – Kenya’s biggest – unaware of the stunning vistas below and of its importance as an IBA or an Important Bird Area.
Above: Roundabout in Gisenyi. Copyrght Rupi Mangat
Published: 21 September 2019
Gisenyi in western Rwanda is the other half of an urban landscape that includes Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. So like Goma, Gisenyi is perched on the edge of the gas-filled Lake Kivu that is one of the African great lakes.
Above: Bajuni fishing boat at Kipini. Copyright Rupi Mangat
From the archives: January 2014
It’s 7 a.m. and we’re at the mooring bay in Kipini where the fishermen take a break from the deep sea and for their dhows and mashuas to be repaired. Their lives are centred around their fishing vessels with makeka’s spread on the sand covered with mosquito nets where they have spent the night. Local Pokomo women prepare breakfast for the men on the other side of the boats. We’re waiting for the boat to arrive from Ozi to sail us up the delta and it’s blazing hot.
Part 2 of 2
I’m sitting on the saddle of the Sekerr mountain range between the peaks of Katugh and the rest: Kaimut, Chaichai and the famous Mtelo that is the peak and the fifth highest point in Kenya at 10,944 feet. It is also the sacred mountain of the Pokot and all face the mountain when praying.
Part 1 of 2
Above: Baboon parliament on Kaimot Hill in Sekerr Range. Copyright Rupi Mangat
Published 24 August 2019 saturday Nation magazine
Little known and shrouded in secrecy, the Sekerr range is a striking feature of the Pokot land in north-western Kenya. Reaching Kapenguria at dusk from South Nandi forest we’re unsure whether we should drive at night into unknown territory.
“It’s safe,” replies John Yoposiwa Ywalasiwa the highland Pokot and our host at Mt Mtelo Eco Lodge. “I’ll be waiting for you at Maarich Pass trading centre.”
It’s a downhill road following the curve of the Cheranganis – only we can’t see the massif blanketed in darkness. Ortum the town before Maarich Pass trading centre is lit with electricity and an hour later, we meet Ywalasiwa and follow him on his pikipiki up into the Sekerr Mountains. The darkness is absolute save for the stars sparkling like jewels flung in the sky.
Moonlion Safaris 