Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia has said that the priceless mansions where British aristocrats lived a glamorous, yet scandalous lifestyle in the 1920s and 1930s, and which have huge tourism potential, are being rehabilitated.
Governor Kimemia’s government spoke in response to the trending story, Nyandarua’s priceless White Mischief mansions left to die carried by FinancialDay that detailed the neglect of the mansions.
The White Mischief is derived from the movie and a novel which portrayed the kind of lifestyle the aristocrats lived. The area was christened Happy Valley to reflect the kind of lifestyle.
Mary Waithera, the Chief Officer for Tourism and Natural Resources in Nyandarua, however, confirmed that the rehabilitation of some of the mansions is underway.
“As a County, Happy Valley homes are in our strategic plan and actually Kinyahwe House is being rehabilitated under culture and social services,” said Waithera.
In an earlier communication regarding his strategic plan, Governor Kimemia said he was liaising with National Museums of Kenya to gazette and protect archaeological sites and profile the Colonial White Happy (Mischief) Valley homes and rehabilitate Mau Mau caves.
Dr Kiura Purity, the Director Museums, Sites and Monuments at the National Museums of Kenya said the institution is keen to work with stakeholders to rehabilitate the Happy Valley/White Mischief Mansions.
“We are aware of these houses and have tried to get stakeholders so that we can rehabilitate them,” Kiura told FinancialDay.
In addition to Happy Valley, Nyandarua has a huge tourism potential
Although Nyandarua County is known mostly for potatoes, marathon runners and extremely cold weather, the county has huge tourism potential within it and in the surrounding counties.
It boasts of Lake Ol-bolosat which is surrounded with beautiful unique ecosystem and sceneries and is a host to rare birds and hippos. It is ideal for boating, water surfing and sport fishing and land to put up top Star Rated Hotels.
The county is also within the Mt. Kenya and Aberdares Tourism Circuit and borders the counties of Nyeri, Nakuru and Laikipia which are the tourism giants of the region.
Other tourist attractions in Nyandarua County include the Aberdare National Park and Thomson’s Falls. The Aberdare National Park, which sits on 767 square km is home to a huge population of wildlife.
Some of the animals that can be spotted here include black rhinoceros, bongo (an elusive antelope), leopard, buffalo and eland among many others. The park is also home to over 240 species of birds including vultures, goshawks and sunbirds.
The Aberdare Mountain Ranges offers spectacular waterfalls and views and are a great place for camping, hiking and bird watching.
In November 2019, the county hosted over 100 filmmakers from across the world as part of its marketing of tourism potential and film-shooting sites to the world, a role Happy Valley can play perfectly.