Kitui is globally Recognised for having very Important and Rare Birds

Thursday, November 8, 2018

By yoana kimwele

The birds at the Muumoni and Mutitu Hill Forests in Kitui County have the global recognition, the County sports and culture executive member hon koki Musau has said. The Muumoni and Mutitu Hill Forests in Kitui County form the numbers 66 and 67 Important Birds Areas in Kenya.

We had the number 65 IBA in Kenya before the numbers 66 IBA and 67 IBA,” the minister said. “To be able to spot the very birds at the Muumoni and Mutitu Hill Forests we use binoculars,”Hon koki said.

And he added that to be certified as an Important Birds Area (IBA) by the International Birds Committee (IBC), you need to research and identify the availability of the rare species of birds. He was speaking during his tour at the Muumoni Hills in Muumoni District of Kitui County recently where he had been accompanied by the County Ecotourism Assistant Director Margaret T.Katele among other officials from his office recently.

He disclosed that the rare birds species that they have identified at the Muumoni and Mutitu Hill Forests include the Hindes Babbler, the Southern Banded Snake Eagles, the Starlings, the Hornbills and the Barbets. “The Hindes Babbler is an endemic and a very shy bird,” the expert said.

And he added that there is another big list of the rare and endemic birds species that have been found at the Muumoni and Mutitu Hill Forests.

The Mutitu Hill Forest is in Mutitu District. The ministry officials also said that there are other hills in Kitui County that host special birds including the Nzambani Rock, Nuu Hills, Endau Hills, Yatta Plateau, Tsavo East National Park, Mutha Hills, South Kitui National Reserve, Mwingi National Reserve and Mutomo Hills.

Minister said that the Muumoni Hills is ideal for bird watching, hiking, nature walks and camping. “The Muumoni Hills is also known to be the highest point in Kitui County,” the officer added.

The Nature Kenya is the national secretariat for the birds research in the country, the officer added. “In Kenya, there is the national liaison committee for birds that recommends the recognition of the Important Birds Areas by the International Birds Committee. The IBC is the custodian of the Important Birds Areas database in the world,” Mulatya said.

He added that the National Birds Liaison Committee draws its members from other nature and conservation organisations including the National Museums of Kenya, Kenya Forest, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Wildlife Clubs of Kenya and Ecotourism Kenya.

He said that the Nature Kenya are the ones that help other nature and conservation organisations in the country with research to identify the potential for an area to be identified as an IBA by the International Birds Company.

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