How scenic Nyambene hills became a cattle rustlers' paradise, hell for locals

Raila Odinga, Kiraitu Murungi and other leaders at the requeim mass for seven people killed by suspected camel herders from Isiolo [George Kaimenyi/Standard]

Some parts of the vast Nyambene landscape in northern Meru are spellbinding. The spectacular Nyambene Hills rise in undulating waves, cloaked in thick forest and sheltering an extraordinary wealth of biodiversity.

The region is the source of 14 permanent rivers that nourish vast swathes of Meru before feeding into the mighty Tana River and eventually emptying into the Indian Ocean.