I remember being at Boarding School in England, and how Christmas always felt like a lifetime away, Whether it is my age now, or just enjoying life more I don’t know, but Christmas seems to be coming around much faster than I remember.
Another year is drawing to a close and it has been an extremely eventful one for us at The Emakoko. If you have been following our story you will already be aware that mother nature tested us to our limits, with a torrential storm tearing out our bridge and within inches of flooding us out. We were very fortunate indeed, not only did we all come out safely, but also that The Emakoko came back bigger and better. I recall as a child a song that we sang entitled ‘The wise man built his house upon the rocks’ – I never appreciated the wisdom of this old adage until now!
(Note to self: when building next to a river take note of the last high-level water mark then add another three metres on it!)
Our team have been fabulous once again and it has been a great year for most. John Oloo, who was hired to help with our re-seeding project, has had a gorgeous baby girl and Rihaz has another beautiful baby girl too, born earlier this year. Speaking of births, our menacing Malanois pack have also been busy and our trio turned into 14 in March. Thankfully wonderful homes were found for these enchanting fur balls, but my shoe cupboard and dining chairs were under relentless attack from 11 puppies for more than 8 weeks.
Our team have been fabulous once again and it has been a great year for most. John Oloo, who was hired to help with our re-seeding project, has had a gorgeous baby girl and Rihaz has another beautiful baby girl too, born earlier this year. Speaking of births, our menacing Malanois pack have also been busy and our trio turned into 14 in March. Thankfully wonderful homes were found for these enchanting fur balls, but my shoe cupboard and dining chairs were under relentless attack from 11 puppies for more than 8 weeks.
As the lodge has become busier we have welcomed a few more members to the team and Sila Muturi, who has been with us from day 1, has moved into the Guiding department. Sila has worked in most departments at The Emakoko, first starting as a casual wood cutter. He eventually got a permanent job in Rooms, moving up to the Private House, then onto Dining and finally his dream has come true, and has become a Guide. The only other team member who has done that many departments is Jackson Keter, who became a Guide back in 2022 and moved through Rooms, Dining, Office and then into the guide section.
As for our family, our children continue to grow at an alarming rate and it seems that this year I have been reduced to being the second-tallest in the family to the fourth – still a good few feet taller than our 5 (soon to be 6) year old Baby Boss girl. I not only have to contend with 6 foot 2 of Anthony, but now also 6 foot 1 of my son and 5 foot 11 of my eldest daughter. Family journeys mean that I am now relegated to the back seat of the car for lack of leg room. Two of our children are thriving here in Kenya, enjoying school and life in the tropics, whilst one of the children left home in September to join a school in the UK and pursue a dream of becoming a career cricketer. This year she was already selected for the Kenya U19’s at the age of 13 so we look forward with pride and hope to her future career.
In the line of moving on, our beloved Melman, the baby giraffe who’s mother was killed in the drought, has started his transition back into the wild and is now moving further and further afield. He still comes home every evening where he is safe. Guarded by our 3 Malanois he can sleep easy in our back garden. He is still too small to be left out and would no doubt fall prey to a pride of lion if they found him, so this transitioning is an anxious time for us.
As far as falling prey goes, our lovely Dog “Wali” was minding her own business one day down by the river (where she is not supposed to be) and was attacked and very nearly swallowed by a 7 foot African rock python. Luckily Rihaz was on hand and managed to extract her from the pythons coils at the very last minute, leaving her with bite marks on her face and legs and severely traumatised. She has now recovered, but I now no longer need to worry about her escaping our home to go down to the river – I think lesson learned!
So as we complete yet another year and move into the 13th year of having The Emakoko, we have started to look forward to an expansion of our future plans. Over this year, Anthony and Rihaz have been busily buying up land on the border of Tsavo East National Park – our favourite place and what I think most people will understand better as ‘our happy place’. Tsavo is quite possibly Kenya’s last great wilderness, with over 8,000 square miles of bush and home to some of the last of Africa’s super Tuskers – with less than 25 left on the planet, it is an area that so many already fight to protect. The views from higher ground over the area we have bought are absolutely breathtaking, as is the abundance of game. Like Cortes on viewing the Pacific, we were “Silent upon a peak in Tsavo”.
We have purchased a total of 500 acres, and by building a small lodge on the border, we are mindful of the impact such a project will have on the local community. Life for the people is hand to mouth and with little to no opportunity. We plan to employ from the local area and a school and clinic are part of our future plans, which will give the prospect of a better future. We will also be supporting the Kenya Wildlife Service in the protection of all flora and fauna in the area.
We are also planning to encourage a small community of like-minded people who will be prepared to invest in he future of this area, purchasing land and building their own homes. The intention is to preserve the area unspoiled for future generations, and support the Kenya Wildlife Service and the conservation organisations that work tirelessly alongside them.
There are many causes which need support and indeed many people – but for anyone who would like to support something in Africa, The Tsavo Trust is an extraordinary organisation and certainly needs help in preserving this park and assisting the communities that border it.
So from all of us in our tiny corner of Kenya we wish you all a wonderful, joyous and restful holiday season and look forward to hopefully seeing you in the new year.
Watch video here.
