Lamu residents want national holiday to plant Mpeketo tree

Residents of Mpeketoni in Lamu West want a special national holiday set aside to recognise and grow the Mpeketo tree.

The town has a fond connection to first Kenya's president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta who upon visiting the area back in the 70s renamed the area from Lake Mkunguya to Mpeketoni.

It is said that while visiting the area, the late president had sought to find an ample resting location with some good air when he was ushered to the shade of a huge Mpeketo tree where he got to relax and unwind.

He is said to have so loved the Mpeketo tree shade that he requested to have his lunch under it after which he sought to know the name of the tree.

“We told him it’s called the Mpeketo tree. He laughed heartily and directed that the name of the entire area change from Mkunguya to Mpeketoni,” elder David Muiga said.

That is how Mpeketoni town in Lamu West was born from the love that the founding father of the nation had for the Mpeketo tree.

Lamu elders fear that the population of the Mpeketo tree continues to dwindle hence the need to restore it.

They want a special day set aside to enable the planting of the Mpeketo tree in the region to save it from extinction.

Muiga said the tree is an important heritage piece for the Mpeketoni community and Lamu as a whole as it ‘gave birth’ to the present-day Mpeketoni.

“That’s why we want the Mpeketo tree recognized and honored. We fear that if we don’t replant, it will be gone in the next few years,” Muiga said.

Elder Paul Mwangi urged MCAs in the county to pass legislation that would force residents of Mpeketoni to grow the trees.

He said such would see the quick reclamation of the Mpeketo tree population.

“It will work better if it’s a law where people will have no option but to plant several trees on their farms and around the area,” Mwangi said.

Maru Kariuki said the extinction of the Mpeketo tree could as well signify the loss of identity for the people of Mpeketoni.

She urged locals to plant the tree in their thousands in honor of the late president.

“This tree carries our name and identity as the people of Mpeketoni. Let us come together and save it from extinction and by doing so, we save ourselves,” Kariuki said.

The Mpeketo tree is famously known for its medicinal value, especially in the treatment of toothaches.