The roan antelope of Ruma National Park

 Ruma National Park. (Courtesy)

Ruma National Park is the only park in Nyanza Province. Also known as the Lambwe Valley Game Reserve, it was constructed to protect its vast population of rare roan antelopes that cannot be found anywhere else.

The park is located in Western Kenya close to Lake Victoria, in Lambwe Valley in South Nyanza. The park covers an area of 120 kilometres. It has two gates, and the roads are three main circuits accessible by vehicles all year long.

How to trace the roan antelope

The roan antelope can be easily identified because, unlike other antelopes, it dons backward-curving horns and long, tasselled ears. It has a grey or brown coat, and a black-and-white clown-like facemask that is darker in males than females.

What you need to know

The population of the Roan antelope in Kenya was about 300 animals in 1978 with the largest population of about 200 animals being found in Lambwe Valley. This population decreased from 200 animals in 1978 to about 19 animals in Ruma National Park by the end of 2019.

Expanding human settlements have seen poaching of the species for game meat, farming in their habitats, and frequent bushfires leading to a significant drop in the population of the antelope. Predation by hyena and leopard are also a serious threat to these antelopes in Ruma. Experts project that antelopes could be extinct by 2025. In Kenya, the antelope would be spotted in the Maasai Mara ecosystem in Narok County and Ithanga Hills in Kiambu County. The species has now settled in Lambwe Valley in Homa Bay County where conservation efforts have confined it to Ruma National Park.

Saving the endangered loan antelope

With the number of antelopes dwindling each year, the loan was headed to extinction, leading to calls for sustainable solutions through targeted interventions to save the endangered antelope.

Through a partnership between the M-PESA Foundation, Kenya Wildlife Services, the Northern Rangelands Trust, and Back to Africa, the future for the roan antelope now looks bright. Through a Sh17 million by the Safaricom M-Pesa Foundation in July 2021, the plan to secure the future of the loan kicked off. So far, through this donation, an 8.6 km boundary fence to protect the park from fire outbreaks that threaten the antelope has been constructed.

Activities in Ruma National Park

Some of the activities that can be done in Ruma National Park are game viewing, bird watching, sightseeing, camping, team building, and mediation. The park is highly recommended as it has a breathtaking view and location.

Best Time to Visit

Ruma National Park can be visited at any time of the year.