Apr 07, 2001 08:55 PM
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This remote field centre is not only excellent for academic groups wishing to study both social and environmental/ ecological aspects of northern Kenya, it is also available to independent travellers. I visited it in 1997 with my university, and UEA and many other institutions continue to run field trips there.
Situated in virgin forest on the banks of the Morun River, at the edge of the Rift Valley, the Marich Pass Field Centre has a spectacular location. From the small hill behind it you can see along the vast, flat expanse of the valley, or turn around to see the mountains towering above you, their tops wreathed in cloud. From the breakfast tables on the patio, you can see across to Mount Koh, which can be climbed with a guide from the centre if available.
A responsible ethos is followed in that the centre uses local material, labour, and food wherever possible. The cook, guides and other staff are all from the neighbouring Pokot village, and the buildings are in traditional styles and made by local people. The centre is run with the co-operation of the local elders, and donations are made to the local community for each visitor. The well water is available to all who wish to use it, an important and potentially life-saving piece of generosity.
English-speaking Pokot guides can take you out and explain local traditions and agricultural methods, and identify wildlife (especially the hazardous kind!). They can also interpret if you wish to talk to villagers, but there's sometimes of a sense of expectation, that the villagers are willing to tell you anything in return for the usual small gift of soap, sugar or cooking oil. Still, why shouldn't they exploit us for a change?
Concessions are made to western tastes with the food, and also with the drinks sold in the small shop - yes, you guessed it, the ubiquitous Coca-Cola :( Happily, Kenyan Tusker beer is also available. Local Pokot are provided with an outlet for traditional crafts, and will demonstrate dancing to larger groups (even if they are wearing t-shirts mixed in with the bead collars and skirts).
The food is excellent, a mix of traditional African food and European-style, with much use made of the carbohydrate-heavy maize-based ugali, which can perhaps best be described as very thick, sticky, whitish couscous. Smothered in spicy sauce or gravy, it's fantastic, and just what you need after a hard day's work. There are plenty of vegetables (vegetarians catered for and served first :), local goat and chicken, and breakfasts often consist of heavenly deep-fried yellow dumplings with golden syrup.
The centre consists of numerous traditional huts, or bandas, each equipped very simply with beds (including linen), chairs and of course mosquito nets. A larger building houses kitchens and a small classroom and library, while a separate, larger room serves as dining room and classroom. There is a fair-sized campsite available. All the buildings are on various levels, according to the terrain, and are surrounded by trees, rather than being placed awkwardly on a razed, clear-felled piece of ground.
Toilet facilities are provided in both ''western'' and ''traditional'' styles. Western loos are raised, with a seat, but everything is contained in a pit below, attracting huge cockroaches and other fauna. Traditional facilities comprise a concrete slab, appropriately shaped, and a hose. Everything is washed away to a pit some metres away, and our group quickly got used to using these, especially at night when they are much more pleasant and bug-free.
Cold showers are available, either under cover (in with the traditional toilets), which can be a bit dark, or open-air, with bougainvillea growing around you and sometimes monkeys watching you from the trees! Although they're a bit strange at first, taking a shower here soon becomes a lovely way to wake up! All the water is pumped from the centre's own well, and is perfectly safe to drink, let alone wash in.
Everything is swept clean daily - it's not sterile and spotless, and there are certainly plenty of large insects running around, but anything else would feel wrong in this setting. The women who clean (and I only saw women) take as much pride in the site as they do their own houses. There is thus a real sense that the site tries to work with both nature and tradition, in all its forms, bending to work with and accommodate it rather than dominating and subduing it.
The lasting impression I gained is that the way in which this centre is integrated into the local community, environment and culture makes it a refreshing, interesting and above all rewarding stop.
Marich Pass Field Centre lies at the foot of the Marich Pass, and can be reached from Nairobi (~500km away) via Nakuru, Eldoret, Kitale and Kapenguria. Locally, matatus (worryingly small and overcrowded buses) are fairly common and should be able to get you there if you are travelling independently.
Full factual information, including details of how to get there, an equipment list and suggested excursions from the centre, is available at:
https://keele.ac.uk/depts/ge/teaching/robson2/MPFSC.html
