Taveta from a Different Perspective

Did you know Taveta is a thriving cosmopolitan town, where many communities co-exist side by side? Taveta is home to Maasai, Chagga, Pare and Kamba communities among others. Taveta is a fairly small but relatively unknown Kenyan border town along the road between Voi Town and Moshi dotted with vibrant, green farms. The town lies at the border of Kenya and Tanzania and enjoys proximity to Lake Challa, a volcanic freshwater lake of extraordinary depth.

A tour of the Taveta market proved that we have a large number of communities living in the area including from the neighbouring country Tanzania. 

Taveta’s cosmopolitan story is well told even by looking closely at the mix of people in elective positions: with its current, former and retired Members of Parliament coming from diverse communities, namely Taita, Kamba, Taveta, and even a Kenyan of Greek origin, Basil Criticos. 

Up until April 2020 there was a lot of business in the area between Kenyans residing in the area and Tanzanians but this has been slowed down by the ban on movement due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Kenya-Tanzania border was closed due to travel restriction however on normal days business in the area is always booming.

Upon touring the market we established that Taveta had some of the freshest vegetables in the country! Because we were visitors in the area we had to sleep in local hotels and what stood out for us was the food. Not only was it delicious but fresh, with the vegetables and fish coming straight from the ‘shambas’ and lake! The prices of fresh vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, oranges and bananas were decidedly much lower than the average prices we get for similar produce in Mombasa town. A sack of onions had a difference of almost Sh300. Most Tavetans are fluent in Kiswahili due to frequent interactions with our neighbouring brother and sisters from Tanzania! Indeed, numerous Tavetans are distantly related either through marriage or related through generational/ancestral linkages, to Tanzanians who have settled just across the border.

We had the luxury of enjoying maize roasted by the roadside and it was ever so tender and fresh with no need for pili pili to mask any staleness. We all agreed it was nothing compared to the usual ones we were used to. I was happy to learn from the vendor that in addition to being tasty, the snack helps to lower cholesterol levels in the body as well as reduces levels of blood sugar in diabetics.

Whilst en route to and from Taveta from Voi, we passed the Tsavo West National Park one of the largest conservation parks that is home to some of the larger elephant herds in Kenya. We took beautiful pictures of huge herds of the big-eared mammal, their tough hides reddish-brown from wallowing dust bathing in the tropical sun-scorched Tsavo earth. The dust also helps to protect their hides from insects and intense heat. Tsavo West National Park is located in Coast Region covering an area of 9,065 sq. km and the main road runs through it so one gets a free-of-charge game drive! If you are not in a hurry you will really enjoy it.

Did You Know? The males and females only come together for mating and short social interactions. Females stay together in a group for their whole lives and raise their young together. The female group is led by a matriarch, who is the oldest female in the group.

Tsavo West offers a truly great family experience, what with bush walks, hiking, rock climbing, horse riding and other safari delights to choose from. Tsavo West and Tsavo East combine to form Kenya’s oldest national park and home to the largest elephant herds in the country, as well as large pride of lions. Although we took many photos of elephants on our way to Taveta as they were so close to the roadside we missed a picture of a lion by a whisker as our driver sped by so fast and it was only minutes later that he cried “A lion!” The rest of us were not amused and chided him for not having slowed down!

It is commonly said that lions are shy creatures so when they hear the sound of a vehicle they hide. The King of the Savannah is very difficult to trace from outside the park. At one end of the highway one daring elephant was so close to our car and to a couple on a boda boda that the boda boda stopped, seemingly afraid if not a bit confused. He was unsure whether or not to proceed. The elephant just stood there, obviously observing all of us. It was obvious he was alert to intruders on his ‘turf’… perhaps had even picked up the couples’ scent… But we in the safety of our pick-up urged them to keep moving…so they safely did. All went well.

 Other animals we saw along the highway were several giraffes, numerous zebras, dik dik, monkeys, ostriches and gazelles.

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