Forgotten gem with great potential

By Pascal Mwandambo

If you see the Salaita Hill for the first time, you will think you are seeing a hunchback.

And because of its not-so-spectacular appearance, many visitors to Taita-Taveta County usually miss it.

Yet Salaita is a hill with a rich history.

Its name is derived from ‘slaughter’; an apt description of the bloody battle between Germans and  Britons during the First World War that was fought at the spot.

In fact, the battle at Salaita Hill was the toughest engagement  in East Africa which involved British, Indian, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and African troops and there is still evidence of the fiery war.

There are remnants of military installations and ammunitions in nearby caves, as well as deep trenches and bunkers linked to the military activities of the war.

A couple of years ago, skulls believed to be those of African soldiers recurited in the war were discovered at the Salaita Hill.

African fighters  were never given a decent burial like those of white soldiers killed in battle as their bodies were dumped where they fell. Its believed their bodies were dragged to the caves by hyenas.
The Salaita  Hill was the only area with an open view between Kilimanjaro and Pare Hills and therefore  a strategic lookout point for advancing enemies.

War sniper

Eileen Wilson, a battlefield  enthusiast, recently discovered an old German catridge at Salaita, while an unexploded 12- pounder shell from World War One was found and officials from the National Museums of Kenya took it for safe custody.

Less than a kilometre from the hill are the Voi Graves, which are part of the Commonwealth War Graves, the others being in Taveta and Voi.

But that is not all to the beauty of the hill. Nearby is an aged baobab tree, which looks like a distraught, overweight maiden who has been waiting in vain for her ‘prince charming’ to  sweep her off her feet.

Legend has it that a female German war sniper, who locals call Mama Shukrani hid behind the giant tree as she mowed down tens of British soldiers in a fierce rage after her husband was killed during the war.

Local lore has it that on certain quiet nights the sounds of screaming soldiers, guns and mortars can still be heard.

Others claim to have seen, on certain dark nights, an apparition of a woman holding a gun, believed to be that of the wife of German soldier Tom Von Prince, or Shukrani, who was killed by British soldiers in Tanga in November 1914. However, the poignant history notwithstanding, the beauty that nature radiates around Salaita Hill and the baobab tree cannot be overlooked.

The hill becomes more beautiful during sunrise and sunset when the silhouettes of the two landmarks are etched against the backdrop of the Pare Hills.

Bird lovers will find the area worth visiting. There are different varieties of rare bird species.

Salaita resident and peasant farmer, James Kigombo, says the tourism potential of the area is yet to be fully exploited.

He says apart from the diverse wildlife in the nearby Tsavo West National Park, the Salaita Hill and its baobab tree should also be registered as cultural and historical monuments.

Substantial revenue

“Substantial revenue can be generated from these historic monuments,” says Kigombo.

The farmer’s sentiments are shared by the chairman of  the Taita-Taveta County Council, Eresmus Mwarabu, who says such monuments, should be protected both under the national and county legislations.

Mzee Anthony Wachira, 91, the custodian of the Voi Commonwealth War Graves told  The Standard it was his great pleasure to keep the cemetery clean.

These World War I monuments are permanently under lock and key almost a century after the war guns fell silent. Only Wachira can give one access.