Environment and Origins

At the turn of the century the part of Kenya known as the Mwea ¹ was largely unoccupied territory. Human settlement was discouraged by tsetse fly, low rainfall, dangerous game animals, and intermittent raiding by Masai. It was an inhospitable area of bush and high grass with permanent water only in a few rivers. Indeed, the word ‘mwea’ means an extensive, desolate region.