Historical Sites in Taita Taveta

Mwakitau (Maktau) Picket Hill: Genesis of War

No one would have predicted before 1914 that this stubby hill with little features to mark it out as a landmark would leave a somber legacy, forever transmuting it into a war antique. By 1915, emergency plans were underway to safeguard Maktau Hill, stockpile military tackle, mount a large arsenal of soldiers and prepare for a hell-for-leather territorial war exploiting, for the very first time in East Africa, aerial war. And things were not going great for the British Government who had transferred the administration rights of the territory from the Imperial British East Company in 1893, and the challenges to overcome the threats of war were mounting, fast too.

Barely two decades into its domination of the East Africa Protectorate, a gravely ill-prepared Kenya, with no more than two battalions of Kings African Rifles, was pitted against the Germans, on a better footing, who would on several occasions infiltrate the border regions and cause serious damage, none, perhaps, felt with more contentinaton than potential damage of the brand new big-budget Uganda Railway. Overlooking Maktau and the then Tsavo Royal Park halfway between Voi and Taveta, with a small summit area high above the immediate flat area, Maktau (Mwakitau) Hill would be a vital picket to counter the headlong advancing enemy.

On July 28, 1914, WW1 kicked-off in Europe between Serbia and Austria-Hungary following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir of Austria’s throne. Austria claimed that Serbia was involved in the hit. Germany joined the war as an ally of Austria while Britain supported Serbia. The faction spread to their colonies in Africa, in Kenya the contest being waged about Taveta at the border between British East Africa and German East Africa. Quick to fame as its downfall, Maktau Hill became a busy military post. ‘Mark-time’ was therefore a routine command during military parades and the local Wataita, it is said, corrupted it into Maktau.

The apparent commitment to invade and destroy enemy territory in Europe had the same lucidity in East Africa. As 1915 rolled in, the imminence of war along the border zone of Kenya and Tanzania was seemingly unavoidable. In February, 1915, work on the 70 km railway from Voi to Taveta began. The construction of this line, the first and only military line in East Africa, advanced double quick, laid by about 3,000 men, and reached Maktau on June 23. The line would serve as a terminus for the disembarking troops. Concomitantly, the rejig of a water pipeline running parallel to the railway began in February from Bura to supply water to Maktau.

It unavoidably happened, as fate would have it, the first lethal shot, a harbinger of the start of WWI battles in East African, was fired on August 15, at Taveta. Hugh La Fontaine, District Commissioner, prepared well with what finite resources he had, fired the shot from Taveta Police Station. That critical shot killed a German soldier, Herr Friedrich Broeker, whose grave is found at Taita Cemetery. It was instigated by the German soldiers from Tanzania who had invaded the Taveta post, killing a police corporal, one Murimi Mwiti, who, while manning an outpost, picking out a German column of about 200 men marching to Taveta, had fired a warning shot.

Mwiti became the first casualty of war as the British were forced to retreat while the Germans utterly overran Taveta and soon after set up an outpost in Mbuyuni 48 km east of Taveta. On September 3rd, 1915, a British unit was ambushed and massacred at Maktau. To get its back on the shoot-up and tame the marauding Germans, a small Royal Naval Air Service party reached Maktau on September 10, by the newly laid train, to set-up by an airfield. By end of September Maktau had 4,179 troops and 1,563 volunteers, 600 horses, 668 mules and about 32 oxen. It was presently defended by complex trenches, gun emplacements and outposts.

Big guns were taken up to the Maktau Hill on ox-carts where they would later be assembled. Artillery guns would come to life everytime the Germans came close to Maktau. Derivatively, the Germans retreated into their territory thence further south to Portuguese Mozambique where they continued their campaign living off Portuguese supplies. As the end of the war, the Germans yielding to an armistice.

The armistice came on November, 1918, surrendering on November 25 that same year. With German losing its colonies in Africa, Maktau Hill lost its importance in the war strategy. In the end, nearly 20,000 British soldiers and 300,000 native troops, experts estimate, were involved in the East Africa Campaigns; 75% of whom were invalided out or died due to illness and starvation rather than battle.

Whatever the aims of land campaigns in East Africa were, the progress of war in Europe made likelier its build up, peak and end. The war, it bears repeating, was as much a tragedy in East Africa as it was in Europe. Post war, Britain captured all German holdings in East Africa, which became a British mandate in 1920 under the name Tanganyika. Britain retained control of the territory after World War II, when it became a United Nations trust territory. Following the after effects of the war in Europe, the war also led to severe trade disruptions, weakened economy, transport bottle necks, massive casualties and heavy trauma in the battlefronts.

Fading fast, the original railway station build at Maktau still stands. The aging gun emplacement, trenches and stone fortifications around Maktau Hill, which once stood guard over 20,000 troops, native porters and carriers stationed there, can still be seen today although in a somewhat neglected state and outgrown with vegetation. Of particular interest are the names carved into the stone by some of the British troops stationed here. Maktau Hill is reachable from Lumo Wildlife Sanctuary, Taita Hills Sanctuary as well as from Taveta via A23 Voi-Taveta Road.

Kenya is home to numerous historic sites that showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage, ancient civilizations, colonial history, and struggle for independence. These historic sites offer valuable insights into Kenya’s past and its diverse cultural heritage, making them essential destinations for visitors interested in her history.

Index of Historic Sites Around Kenya

Baringo County - Timboroa Railway Station , Bungoma County - Chetambe Fort , Kilifi County - Prince Henry the Navigator Monument , Vasco da Gama Pillar , Malindi Pillar Tomb , Portuguese Chapel, Malindi Butwani Pier , Kwale County - Shimoni Ruins , Lamu County - Shela Mosque, Lamu Fort , German Post Office, Siyu Fort , Machakos County - Macmillan Castle Sabuk , Fort Machakos , Makueni County - Gurdwara Makindu Sahib , Patterson Ruins Tsavo, Meru County - Kaaga War Memorial , Twin Baobab Trees , Giant Meru Oak, Mombasa County - Fort Jesus, Old Port , Sanaa Gallery , Leven House , Old Law Courts , Kengeleni Bell , Old Railway Station, Mbaraki Pillar , Fort St. Joseph , Kraph Monument , Fort Makupa , Arab Rifle's Monument , Mombasa's Tusks , Ras Serani Light, Mandera County - Fort El Wak , Nandi County - Kaptumo I Kipture Forts , Samiitui Aldai Historic Stone , Nyeri County - Old Ruling Court, Taita Taveta County - Kitchwa Tembo Hill , Salaita Hill , The Sniper Tree , Maktau Railway Station, Mwashoti Hill , Mwakitau Hill , Tana River County - Tana Delta Old Fort , Tharaka Nithi County - The Mutunguruni Tree , Wajir County - Wajir Fort , Ancient Orahey Wells , Orahey Bunkers , The Old Town Wajir

Historic Ruins along the Coast of Kenya - Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River & Lamu

Situated in south-western Kenya, and part of the Coast Region of Kenya, Taita-Taveta County is known for its stunning landscapes, rich biodiversity, and cultural heritage. The county features diverse landscapes, including the Taita Hills, which are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and the vast plains of Tsavo, which are part of Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks – Kenya’s largest wildlife preserve.

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Guide to Taita Taveta County

A Summa Digest of Taita Taveta

About Taita Taveta Way Back When

85 Destinations in Taita Taveta County , arranged as one would visit these - north, west then south - with aid of in-depth narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:

Chyulu Hills National Park , Kisula Caves , Kampi ya Kanzi Lodge , Tsavo West National Park , Kamboyo Lodge , Mzima Springs , Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge , Ancient Roaring Rocks, Ngulia Hills , Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary , Kitchwa Tembo Hill , Chaimu Crater , The Five Sister's Hills , Shetani Lava , Finch Hattons Camp , Mount Kilimanjaro , Lake Chala , Crystal Lake Chala Caves , Voyager Ziwani Tented Camp , Sniper Tree , Gicheha Ziwani Farm , The Njoro Springs , Grogan’s Castle , Mokine Hill, Lake Jipe , Lake Jipe Eco-lodge , Salaita Hill , The Taveta Military Cemetery , Maktau Indian Cemetery , Maktau Railway Station , Taita Hills Game Lodge , Taita Hills Museum , Sarova Salt Lick Lodge , Mwashoti Hill , Maili 27 Bridge, Mwakitau Hill , Lumo Game Sanctuary , Lions Bluff Lodge , Lualenyi Camp , Ndolwa Game Sanctuary , Dembwa Falls , Bura Mission Church , Vuria Hill , Taita Hills , Wesu Rock , Taita Rocks Hotel , Malowa's Shrine , Taita Skull Caves , Taita Research Station , Kilangarenyi Falls , Ngangao Forest , Kenyatta Caves , Mount Sagalla , Rev. Wray Memorial Museum , Ngutuni Wildlife Sanctuary , Volunteer International Camp Tsavo , Mount Kasigau , Kasigau Base Camp , The Maungu Plains, Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary , Wushumbu Conservancy, Teita Sisal Estate , Mbulia Conservancy , Tsavo East National Park , Ithumba Elephant Nursery , Yatta Plateau , Tsavo Springs , Emusaya Wilderness Arc , Galdessa Little Camp , Lugard's Falls , Mudanda Rock , Voi War Cemetery , Lion Hill Lodge , Kanderi Swamp , Voi Wildlife Lodge , Aruba Dam , A. Aruba Lodge , Nyiri Desert

Know More About Taita Taveta County: Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including distance chart, Airports, Climate & National Monuments

What’s The Air Like in T.Taveta?

The mean temperature in Taita Taveta is 23 Degrees Celsius, cooler around the hills and hotter on the Nyika where the Tsavos sit. Rainfall distribution is uneven, with the highlands receiving higher rains than the lowland areas.

What’s The Lay Of The Land in C.06?

Taita Taveta County is divided into two major topographical zones: The upper zone high zones, and the lower zone consists of plains of Tsavos.

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