Taita Taveta County holds a remarkable place in World War history

As the world prepares to mark the First World War centenary celebrations, Taita Taveta County is planning special activities, thanks to the important role the county played during the war.

Taita Taveta holds a special place in the First World War East African campaign, as it was one of the scenes of clashes between the British and Germans in the region. In fact, many of the battlefields, such as Salaita Hill, remain largely undisturbed, with bunkers and trenches still visible.

A tour of Salaita Hill reveals its strategic position, offering a clear view of the Taveta plains and hills across the border in Tanzania, from where the German forces advanced during the war.

According to the website 100.taitataveta.go.ke, the Germans occupied Salaita and turned it into a defensive post shortly after the war began in East Africa.

The British attacked the hill three times, but were repulsed, incurring heavy losses during two of the attacks: on March 29, 1915, when their 300 troops failed, and on February 12, 1916, when their 6,000 troops were repulsed by 1,200 German soldiers.

During the first attack on March 29, the British forces used a diversionary attack in an attempt to push out the Germans, without success. Their two subsequent attempts also failed, and they finally liberated it on March 8, 1916, after continuous bombardment — a day after the German forces had left.

It is with such facts in mind that Taita Taveta County is planning a series of activities to consolidate its place in history as one of the war’s battlefronts.

The celebrations, which will run from August 28 to 30 — with mini ceremonies on August 14 and 15 — will see residents and visitors from around the globe converge at the various local war sites. The county will host annual events until 2018, which will mark 100 years since the end of the war.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Through the celebrations, Taita Taveta County will look for ways of enhancing and marketing the world war memorials and battlefields, as well as strengthening its relationship with other countries that were involved in the war, especially Britain.

The county’s executive for tourism, Mr Stephen Masamo, says there will be something different on offer every year during the commemorative celebrations.

He added that the Australian and British High commissions have shown interest in partnering with the county to mark the occasion.

The celebrations are also part of the efforts to recognise all the soldiers who participated in the war to advance their causes.

According to the website, 100.taitataveta.go.ke, which was launched on August 2 as part of the celebrations, the Imperial War Museum is leading the First World War Centenary Partnership, a network of local, regional, national and international cultural and educational organisations, which the county has joined.

The county’s objectives are to renew and strengthen its relationships with the countries that participated in the war, as well as show its support and commitment to international peace and global security.

Further, the county seeks to foster understanding of its role in the war by telling and preserving stories, artifacts, pictures, movies about the area and what Kenyans experienced both at home and abroad.

The climax of the celebrations will take place on top of Salaita Hill, where 15 flags of some of the countries that participated in the war will be hoisted.

Several artists are also expected to grace the occasion.

Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) Managing Director Muriithi Ndegwa says the county will host local and international visitors during the celebrations, which will give it an opportunity to showcase its strength and potential for becoming one of the most important tourist attractions in the country.

“The launch of the website (100.taitataveta.go.ke) is timely for disseminating information on this new product, which promises to enrich the tourism circuit in the county,” Mr Muriithi said.

He added that the commemoration would serve as an endorsement of the county as a battlefield destination.

“Many tourists, lovers of history and those who feel connected to the country will travel to the country for the celebrations,” he said, adding that this was one of the areas of collaboration between KTB and the counties aimed at enriching tourism products and itineraries.

IMPORTANT BATTLEFIELDS

Mr Muriithi said Taita Taveta and other counties could rely on the board to “fine tune” products, the mapping out and drawing up of itineraries, as well as promoting these as part of the holistic tourism brand.

He noted that Taita Taveta was the scene of some of the most important battlefields of the war in East Africa, where the Germans occupied and built fortified outposts with the intention of blocking the British from using the Voi-Taveta Railway.

During the celebrations to be led by Governor John Mruttu, several groups, including the Kenya Regiment Association and ex-senior armed services soldiers, will be represented.

Mr Mruttu will lead high commissioners and ambassadors to the Commonwealth War grave site, where a commemorative service, including the laying of wreaths, will be held.

Among the notable relics of the war are the Commonwealth graves in Voi, Maktau and Taveta, where soldiers of different nationalities, but mostly British, were buried.

The tombstone of a German soldier, F. Broecker, sticks out like a sore thumb among those of British soldiers at the Commonwealth War Grave in Taveta.

Broecker was shot and wounded by a British government agent, Hugh la Fontaine, who was riding a mule as they approached Taveta Police Station, and died the following day.

He was the first German casualty of the war in East Africa. It is believed he was buried among the British soldiers as a sign of respect to his family.

GERMAN-LED COMPANY

According to James Willson, the author of Guerrillas of Tsavo, Taveta rose to prominence when the first shot in the area was fired in the wee hours of August 15, 1914.

At about 3am, a German-led company of 200 soldiers was advancing on the ill-prepared British frontier border post near a village in Taveta. The corporal in charge, Murimu Mwiti, stood his ground and was gunned down, making him as the first person to be shot, and the first British soldier killed in action in the area.

Willson says that in August 1914, German East Africa had a well trained and equipped force of 5,000 troops, adding that the Germans made several incursions in the area, and ended up occupying the Taita enclave.

There is a war grave maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in the middle of Taveta for casualties of the battle on Salaita hill and at Latema/Reata.

Mr Willson adds that Taveta was liberated by British Empire Forces after 20 months of German occupation and several battles.

Another relic of the war in the county is Mashoti Fort, which served as a holding ground for soldiers as they prepared for the battlefront, due to limited water supply in Maktau.

Willson says the fort was used by a number of South African battalions under Lt Gen Jan Smuts in January 1916 before they began advancing to Taveta in February and March.

The fort, which is located on the Mwatate-Taveta Road within the Taita Hills and Salt Lick Wildlife Sanctuary, is currently covered by grass, but has bunkers believed to have been used by the soldiers.

Willson says the walls of the fort were probably made up of bags filled with soil dug up to make the trenches and the deep command post.
Another notable relic is the former Taveta Police Station, which now houses police officers, despite its dilapidated state.

The first shot signalling the beginning of the war was fired from the police station, which later served as a hospital.

There is also a huge baobab tree, which is believed to have been used as a shelter by the widow of a German soldier. The tree bears the inscriptions “1914” and is surrounded by metal grilles, signs of possible use as a refuge.

FIRST PERIODICAL

Taita Taveta has a rich history, boasting the first publication, The Taveta Chronicle, which was launched 1895. It was edited by the Church Missionary Society staff stationed in Mahoo. It was also the first periodical published on the East African mainland, and the second newspaper to be published in the British and German spheres of influence in East Africa.

Mr Willson says that in addition to religious affairs, the publication also carried details of the church’s contribution in the development of education. The publication also recorded the movement of officials in from the British and German protectorates in the area.

An old building in Mahoo, where the newspaper was printed, still stands and is reportedly owned by the Anglican Church of Kenya.

Among the soldiers to be remembered is Lieutenant W T Dartell, who rejected an attempt to rescue him and remained behind with his wounded colleagues on the battlefield. On September 3, 1915, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in Commonwealth countries.

A notable fact about the war is that Gen Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck was the only German general to occupy British territory — Taveta — and had the first fully integrated modern force. He was also the only undefeated German general in the First World War.

Twenty-one countries participated in the war directly or indirectly, including Germany, Belgium, Britain, South Africa, Nigeria, and the West Indies. Britain had one of the largest troops, including those from India.

Although Africans played an important role in the war, little is documented about them. For instance, while there are Commonwealth war graves for British and Indian soldiers, there is no graveyard for African soldiers.

The only images of the African soldiers are in old pictures, and with only a few of them armed. Yet their role as soldiers and porters greatly facilitated movement for both the German and British soldiers, who were not familiar with the local terrain.

The majority were used to carry goods (carrier corps) and foodstuff for the soldiers from Voi, which led to the naming of a place Kariakor (a distortion of carrier corps) in the area.

Meanwhile, the county will also host the World Elephant Day celebrations on August 12, which has been organised by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

KWS will mark the day by educating local communities on the need to protect elephants, and the beasts’ role in the county and national economies.

It says the day presents a platform for creating awareness on the plight of elephants as a result of poaching, loss of habitat and human-elephant conflict.

RELICS WORTH VISITING AT A GLANCE

• Salaita Hill, which the Germans occupied for 20 months. The bunkers and trenches can still be seen.
• The Commonwealth graves in Voi, Maktau and Taveta, where soldiers, especially British, were buried.
• The war grave in the middle of Taveta for casualties of the battle on Salaita Hill and at Latema/Reata.
• Mashoti Fort, which served as a holding ground for soldiers as they waited to march to the battlefront.