Kakamega Forest: The green lodge where randy broke lovebirds risk it all

One of the forest's beautiful trails found in the Kakamega Tropical Rain Forest. (Photo/ Chrispen Sechere.) Broke, but adventurous lovers in Kakamega have discovered a new refuge for their escapades-the lush Kakamega Forest, bordering the once-posh Milimani Estate. This new "green lodge" has become their hideout after previous hotspots, such as Amalemba Estate and the bamboo canopy at Joyland, were disrupted by those doing driving lessons in open fields. For years, Muliro Gardens served as the infamous rendezvous for couples engaging in intimate acts. Perverts and sex workers had transformed the park's bamboo benches into makeshift beds, much to the dismay of local residents. However, public outcry forced authorities to intervene, driving the offenders out. After the park underwent a significant facelift, it became a hub for legitimate business activities. With their old haunt gone, the amorous crowd-- commercial sex workers, cheating spouses, and perverts, as well as college, university and even high school students-- have now turned their focus to the Kakamega tropical forest. The Kakamega Forest, which stretches from Milimani Estate in the outskirts of Kakamega town to Shinyalu and Malava constituencies, before connecting to Kaimosi Forest in Hamisi Constituency, Vihiga County has now become the epicentre of clandestine rendezvous. Lack of police patrols in the area, which were previously frequent when Milimani Estate housed prominent residents, has emboldened the offenders. The estate lost its allure after some houses were demolished last year to pave way for the Affordable Housing Project. However, those whose houses were spared and live adjacent to the forest are now calling on security agencies to intervene and stop the Sodom and Gomorrah scenes taking place within their vicinity, expressing fear the bush sex orgies are exposing their children to immorality. According to some locals, The availability of the famed Mukombero plant, believed to have aphrodisiac properties, is allegedly fueling the forest's newfound popularity. Among the most notorious users are bodaboda operators, and construction workers from the nearby Affordable Housing Project, and traders. College students too have been ambushed and arrested while engaging in sex inside the forest. Caught in the act Recently, residents attracted by people moaning in the forest busted two women and two men who were found in the act, but the two men, a boda boda operator and taxi driver, managed to escape. "I live around the stretch of the forest and errand couples have been a nuisance to us. On Saturday evening, we found four naked adults, two men and two women engaging in sex. We caught the two women, but the men managed to escape naked leaving their clothes in the forest," said Isaac Luchetu, a resident of Milimani Estate. According to Luchetu, one of the women, a banana vendor in Kakamega town is married to a bodaboda rider while the other claimed she is trader in the same town. "The boda boda man was beaten before he managed to escape and disappeared through the forest. It is embarrassing and very wrong for one to disturb wild creatures in the forest when we have rooms for accommodation in Kakamega town," said Luchetu. Luchetu says the two women were forced to put on clothes after a long commotion of embarrassment and beating from angry residents and passersby, before they were allowed to leave. "The two were then forced to pick up the clothes belonging to their men before they were allowed to leave with no place to hide their faces. Some people even wanted the two to walk naked, but we turned down the request, because there were children around who had come to witness the drama," said Luchetu. The motorbike, left by the bodaboda rider was taken to the chairman of the Bodaboda Association in Milimani Estate, who later took it to a nearby police station. Jane Anyole said the quiet, green canopy provides a conducive environment for randy lovers to sneak into the forest to engage in infidelitys. "Since Muliro Gardens underwent a major facelift and Amalemba grounds and Joyland spaces were taken up, the bad behaviour has been transferred to this place. It is a worrying trend because this place has since become busy, especially in the evening and morning hours," said Anyole. "You will not fail to see people walking in pairs along the forest. They don't proceed to town and most of their journey or walk ends halfway. The majority of these people are bodaboda fellows. They confuse people pretending to be ferrying clients, but in most cases, those clients are people's wives being taken to the green lodge," she added. Anyole said they are concerned because even university and secondary school students are being lured into the forest where they engage in sexual activities oblivious of the security and health risks they are getting exposed to. "We have had many incidences where we have caught young girls, and after interrogation, it turns out that some of them are either university or college students. More worrying is the involvement of secondary school girls. We want the government and relevant authorities to step in and put an end to this unbecoming behaviour," noted Anyole. Residents also say that the ongoing construction of the affordable housing project at Milimani Estate has contributed to the spike of the sex escapades since construction site workers find the 'green lodge' to be nearer- a kilometre away. "We are experiencing a lot of drama. The busiest days in the forest are the days the construction workers have been paid. People should go for rental lodgings and leave the forest to wild animals," said Anyole. The man agrees that since the demolition of posh houses in the Milimani Estate, police have stopped patrolling the area. "There is the excitement of people associating with Milimani estate because it was once the home of rich people and due to scaling down of security; people have taken advantage of that and that is why they have turned the nearby Kakamega forest in the area for romantic and sex exploits," said Anyole. But bodaboda operators are distancing themselves from the allegations of being the most notorious stating that the behaviour of a few individuals should not be generalised on them. According to the Kakamega County Boda Boda Association chairman Robert Amachoni, he has not received complaints that his members are misbehaving. Though he is not ruling out the possibility that there are a few elements out to tarnish the image of their sub-sector. "I have not heard or received any complaints, what is being said is just hearsay. My members are law abiding, good people and very disciplined family men, however, I cannot rule out that few fellows are engaging in such wicked behaviour, but then again, they are adults and that does not mean that people should start blaming and linking everything to bodaboda operators," said Amochoni. He added: "If I receive the complaints and names of our members using our forest as a lodging, we will use our own mechanisms and constitution to punish or deal with the lawbreakers within our industry. Our sector is a movement that should be guarded for what it does in terms of offering a livelihood to many youths." However, a section of bodaboda operators from the Milimani Estate who sought anonymity told The Nairobian that the largest percentage of those using Kakamega Forest for sexcapades are their colleagues. "The most frequent culprits arrested in the act are bodaboda guys and in most instances, those who have been ambushed are not their wives. They are tainting our name, because this will hurt our work," said a bodaboda rider. Adding: "The place has used condoms, carton boxes, and broken branches that show it is normally full of activities. Our leaders should step in and crack the whip, or else, the trend will snowball into something else when spouses suspecting their partners will start hovering around the forest with the hope of catching them."

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