Sansevieria 13 (2005) -
Malka Mari, Barisa, Malka Lorne, all Boran
names. On an earlier safari to the Malka
Mari National Park, I was intrigued to
hear all the place names were of Boran origin; whilst
I was in the heart of Dogadia country, a wild camel
keeping Somali clan which is possibly one of the
largest clans in Kenya stretching through to Somalia
and Ethiopia. On discussing the issue of place names
with local Dogadia and Garreh elders, they with one
voice all decided that it was Boran country previ-
Strange Sounding Names,
Far Away Places
An account of an exploratory expedition
to Malka Mari
Gilfrid Powys
Kisima Farm Ltd., P.O. Box 20139, Nairobi, Kenya
All photos by the author.
Sansevieria 13/2005
pages 7 - 10
Fig. 1: Malka Mari in the distance
- Sansevieria 13 (2005)
ously but the Somalis and the Garreh had driven
them south leaving their names behind.
Malka Mari National Park is simply an area drawn
on the map where Kenya has a bulge of territory into
Ethiopia occasioned by the River Dawa being the
boundary. It is a National Park by name but has no
demarcated boundaries nor any facilities. The nearest
Park official will be found in the District Headquarters
of Mandera as the District Kenya Wildlife
Service Warden (120 kilometres to the East).
For years the sound of the name Malka Mari attracted
me, but I knew full well it was in a military
operational area and exceedingly difficult for a civilian
to get there. I had made one attempt the previous
year to befriend a senior Army officer in the
hope I could simply fly to Mandera and visit my
friend. Plans were set (aviation fuel arranged and
even an aircraft clearance granted for me to fly into
the North Eastern province of Kenya) when a frantic
signal came through our local Police station that my
new found military friend had been moved back to
barracks in Nairobi with his entire Company. Undaunted
I wrote a proposal to the Senior Research
Officer in the Kenya Wildlife Service suggesting it
was high time the flora and fauna of the Malka
Mari National Park was monitored. The proposal
was accepted and it was not long before I was communicating
with the District Kenya Wildlife Service
warden based in Mandera.
Further arrangements were made and the isolated
Game Warden was clearly overwhelmed at the pros-
Garreh  A Boran speaking Somali clan occupying
Mandera and Elwack in all three territories  Kenya, Somalia
and Ethiopia.
pect of a flight over his National Park. On the appointed
day, I flew alone with all my plant presses
and spirit bottles to Mandera, having previously arranged
aviation fuel to be delivered by an Arab traders
truck.
The District Game Warden was a delightful fellow,
full of enthusiasm and clearly a true conservationist,
but completely handicapped by lack of fuel
and an evident threat of security to visit his National
Park. Some 100 kilometres north west up the Dawa
River. We called on the various officials in Mandera
to emphasize my official mission to monitor the Park
and left to undertake the first part of the exercise, an
aerial survey.
Flying up the river, and over some of the most
dramatically broken country I had ever seen, I was
totally captured by the deep gorges, wide sand luggas,
dense bush and rocky outcrops which are all so
rewarding for any botanical exploration. As far as
wildlife was concerned, this area was clearly the centre
of all the Somali camels of the region. Park or no
park, camels were threading their way to and from
the River Dawa in their thousands. There were no
borders demarcated. Even the Ethiopian border leaving
the River Dawa to the west of an old British fort
was not discernable. After some 60 minutes of flying,
it was apparent that my Game Warden companion
was extremely uncomfortable with my constant manoeuvring,
looking for signs of wildlife in amongst
the livestock. I realized a landing was essential and
without delay. A small town called Rhamu mercifully
provided a disused airstrip where we landed
abruptly, my companion falling out of the aircraft
greatly relieved to be on firm ground.
Hardly before the engine was turned off, we were
completely surrounded by hordes of children. For
certain there was not a fertility problem in this little
town. I was completely trapped by the dense crowd
of excited children, when a slim fine featured young
man forced his way through a sea of giggling and
chattering juveniles, thrust out his hand and said
Im Jack. Jack was sent by the Gods. It turned out
he was ready to drive me where ever I desired. By
now the Warden had recovered and agreed we should
survey the Park from the ground.
Jack assembled his kit and co-driver known as
M.O.D, Ministry of Defence, loaded with petrol
and we were off to Malka Mari. So began the first of
3 expeditions to this remarkable region.
Progress was slow, as quite correctly, the Mandera
Game Warden who had never visited the area wished
to visit all the Chiefs and elders along the way as we
proceeded up a rough but used track.
Fig. 2: Typical type locality
Sansevieria 13 (2005) -
According to my maps, we entered the Park at
5.00 p.m. and camped in a lugga called Lak baborgebiss
which translated meant the Valley of broken
vehicles. The succulent plants were just extraordinary
from Cyphostemma betiformis, Monadenium
reflexum, Pyrenacantha malvifolia and undescribed
species of Aloe and Echidnopsis.
A long walk up the lugga of the broken vehicles
revealed further exciting finds, including an aloe
which was totally unfamiliar to me.
The next day, now accompanied by the local
Chief, we left Jacks Land Rover at an old 1945 military
Fort, now in ruins. This was at the head of a
path descending to the Dawa River, which at this
point flowed through a massive gorge some 2,000
feet below. The descent revealed further exciting
plants. A Monadenium which is clearly undescribed
resembling Monadenium ellenbeckii but quite different.
Finally, after a 2 hour steep descent we arrived at
Malka Mari. Malka is the Boran term for a crossing
in a permanent river, Mari meaning a place where
different people meet. The opposite bank was, at this
point, in Ethiopian territory.
After a second night camped near the old Fort
and partaking in a feast of goat meat provided by the
Chief, I had to return to Rhamu. I was elated having
made firm friends with Jack and his family, the
Chiefs and Inspector, the Game Warden and elders
and promised to return for a more thorough inspection
of this fascinating area.
Malka Mari was not revisited until January 2001.
I was accompanied by Len Newton and an old friend
who had recently lost a wonderful wife in her late
30s to cancer, who had come as a healing process.
After landing at Rhamu, we experienced the same
crowd of children completely surrounding the aircraft
and Jack, forcing his way through the crowds
to greet us. There was no delay on this occasion, and
we set off with the indomitable M.O.D. and Jack
at the wheel. Progress was extremely slow, with my
companions requesting a halt every few miles.
We finally arrived at the lugga of the broken vehicle
and moved up stream as our old camp site was
now occupied by a large herd of goats. The area was
thoroughly explored and I was delighted that Len confirmed
that the most attractive Aloe seen on the previous
trip was in fact new to science and he subsequently
named it Aloe carolina in memory of Charlie Wheelers
very special wife. The local Somalis use the sap as anti
eye infection and it is called Daharr Indot (Eye Aloe).
On the following day after very slow progress,
we arrived at the tiny village of Malka Mari which
had been established not far from the old Fort. There
was considerable tension in the air as the Ethiopian
Army was massed on the opposite bank of the
River Dawa. They were attempting to separate two
Fig. 3: Sansevierias in situ, probably Sansevieria intermedia (= volkensii)
10 - Sansevieria 13 (2005)
sub clans of the Dogodia who had been fighting over
some blood money. The Chief made a special request
that we should not descend into the Dawa Gorge as
the sight of several Europeans scrambling about the
bushes on the Kenya side of the border would alarm
the Ethiopian Army.
We set off down a track in a southerly direction
through the most delightful country. Deep red soil
covered in thick Acacia/Commiphora bush as we
drove south over undulating ridges and valleys. The
depressions crowded with huge Acacia tortilis. Rising
out of the bush were numerous tall slender ant
hills, some up to 4 metres in height adding to the
picturesque landscape. We kept stopping to search
for interesting plants at one small lugga.
Charlie Wheeler called me to point out a most
attractive sansevieria growing in deep shade on red
sandy soil with three leaves 8 to 14 cm long attractively
marked on lower and upper surface blue/green
with a pink edge. Clearly not a common plant and
its identification puzzles me to this day.
Apart from some massive stands of S. robusta and
S. intermedia with small rhizome found on the summit
of Dandu, clearly not the same as the normal
more robust S. intermedia L.Newton No. 5789, no
other sansevierias were seen during the entire safari.
Having been thwarted at our explorations of the
Dawa Gorge as it enters Kenyan territory, we decided
to climb the hills of Dandu which lay some
60 kilometres due south of Rhamu. We stopped in
the tiny hamlet of Dandu, the Borana word for Marabou
Stork, and partook of the usual spicy tea so
favoured by the Somali camel herders, then camped
under two vast Acacia tortilis.
We left Jack and the sturdy M.O.D. in camp and
started out as it became light. There was an hours
walk to the foot of Dandu Mountain through thick
Commiphora bush. I was delighted to find a strong
population of Commiphora alaticaulis and collected
a perfect seedling.
The country was in very good shape whilst clearly
camels and goats frequent the area it was by no means
over grazed. We ascended the unusual hill passing
heavily weathered sand stone rock resembling an ancient
Scottish castle. Fascinating country but surprisingly
did not reveal anything special. Len found a
Huernia and Echidnopsis but both were sterile.
The top of Dandu was flat and dotted with these
curious sandstone sentinels covered with lichen and
in some cases Dorstenia sp. protruding out of cracks
in the sandstone. After a thorough unfruitful search
we returned to base before dark having had a most
invigorating day but not so rewarding botanically.
Thus ended the second journey to Malka Mari.
A third visit with a friend who was solely a Commiphora
collector, confirmed the position of our unidentified
sansevieria. I made further collections, the
first having expired.
Should any of the readers of Sansevieria be able
to identify this plant from the photograph, I would
be most interested to establish its identity .
Editors note: The unidentified sansevieria would
seem to be Sansevieria Horwood sometimes known as FKH
424. This was collected in Kenya by Frank Horwood but
without precise locality data. However the plant found by
Gilfrid Powys is particularly attractive form.
Figs. 4 & 5: Close up pictures of the unidentified sansevieria.