“People Who Live in Rocks”

One theory about the word Mukogodo is that it originally meant "people who live in rocks," and that certainly described LeKitiman. On the south, the ancient rocks of Mukogodo gradually give way to the more recently formed slopes of Mount Kenya, a huge extinct volcano and Africa's second highest peak. Mukogodo themselves are passionate botanists, possessing an intimate knowledge of the plants in their area and their many uses, particularly as medicines. Most of the wild animals in the area stay away from humans, and, now that Mukogodo no longer hunt for food, humans mostly do the same for the animals. The Mukogodo area, like the rest of the Laikipia Plateau, has a climate that is wonderful for visitors but that can be problematic for people who live there. Like Western beekeepers, Mukogodo men used smoke to make the bees docile so that the honeycomb could be extracted, though they wore no special protective clothing.