Delicacy with health benefits

Kakamega residents feed on white ants. The insects, a common delicacy in Western Kenya, are said to heal athritis and other ailments. [photo: BENJAMIN SAKWA/standard]

White ants or chiswa as they are popularly known in Western are a delicacy among the Luhya community eaten raw (alive or dead) or after they are fried.

They usually come out of the ground when it rains after a long dry spell. They like warm weather, live in the soil and hibernate during cold weathers.