KWS to market Kimathi tree ‘mailbox’ as historic tourist attraction

By Moses Njagih

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) under whose custody the mugumo tree that housed a jungle ‘post office’ for the Mau Mau falls, has gazetted it as a national monument.

By virtue of the tree being situated within the Aberdare National Park, KWS has taken over the responsibility of its care and plans to market it as a historical site.

To tourists visiting the national park’s offices near Mweiga, the ‘Kimathi Post Office’ as it is officially known, which was opened to the public as a national monument on March 3, 2006, by then Tourism Minister Morris Dzoro, is among the park’s attractions that are well documented.

"We encourage visitors to go and see this national monument that holds a rich history for this country," says Ms Lucy Kobia, a tourism officer at the park.

The Senior Warden in charge of Aberdares National Park Mr Felix Mwangangi says KWS plans to improve road infrastructure to where the tree is situated so that it can be accessible to many visitors within the park.

"At the moment, not many people can easily access the monument because there is no road to the place.

From a distance

Those inside a vehicle are only shown the tree from a distance as only a walking path leads to the place," says Mwangangi, adding that the tree’s history is not known to many Kenyans as, like most of the freedom struggle history, it has been fading with the death of freedom fighters.

Former freedom fighter Theuri Njugi says the tree harbours a part of the freedom struggle that is not documented for Kenyans.

"Most of the history has died with the fighters," he says.