Marriages under threat as Mukombero shortage bites

As we trekked through Kakamega Forest around 7am, its smell was fresh and organic. We were in awe of the size and majesty of the trees. Their knotted arms rose ever upwards, as far as my head could lift.

The grasses we stepped on were crackly beneath our feet because of the ongoing dry spell.  We could see wild basil growing freely on the clumpy, mossy mattress of the floor.

The simpering wind carried a fragrance with it. It was spirit refreshing to smell the mulchy mix of the forest’s perfume. Every sprawling tree in Kenya’s only remaining tropical rainforest we passed under reminded me of a watchful guardian, a silent sentinel of the groves. We decided to venture deeper into the tangled heart of this primeval forest. We hoped that it would reveal its dark secrets to us.

We arrived at a wide glade, where the trees fell away, revealing the bespeckled sky. The sap sweet fragrance of the forest washed over us and we were seduced by its comforting goodness. At heart of the forest, we came across Martin Ongaya, chewing on a yellowish root, commonly known as ‘Mukombero’ (White’s ginger or Mondia Whitei) that is a euphemism for improving a man’s libido especially in Western Kenya.

Its considered as an aphrodisiac due to the fact that it arouses sexual instincts and increases sexual performance. Mukombero takes two to three years to mature and, thereafter, harvesting is a continuous process that may run for up to 15 years, according to an earlier research done by the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe).

“I came to harvest Mukombero but for the last five hours, I have found nothing. Felling down of trees in the forest is what has brought this suffering. They are destroyed our Mukombero farm,” said Martin Ongaya

Ongaya is a hawker in Githurai 44 market. He had travelled to Kakamega to harvest the yellowish root, then go back to Nairobi and sell them on the streets in order to get a few coins to feed his family.

I have been selling Mukombero for 10 years

“I will have to cross over to neighbouring Uganda to get it, though that is an expensive venture. Before lifting the ban on logging, I could just come to the forest and get Mukombero to sell,” said Ongaya

“I have been selling Mukombero for 10 years. We used to harvest the herb in Kakamega forest or people’s farms but uncontrolled harvesting has led to its near disappearance,” he added

President William Ruto early this month lifted the nationwide ban on logging in public forests giving a new lease of life to hundreds of saw millers who had been locked out of business for six years.

The president said lifting of the ban was long overdue, and that it was time for saw miller to harvest mature trees.

Ruto said mature trees were rotting in the forests while locals who relied on forest produce suffered.

“Mature trees are rotting in forests while locals suffer due to lack of timber, see the foolishness in this country. We have lifted the moratorium that was put in place,” Ruto said.

He added the previous government planned to have furniture imported after imposing the ban. He said the decision to increase the levy on imported furniture was meant to ensure they are locally made and provide employment to Kenyans.

It’s the lifting of the ban that has seen Nelson Mutala, a Mukombero hawker in the streets of Kakamega town, unable to put food on the table.

 He is blaming the shortage to logging in the forest, which he says, on the move by President Ruto to lift the ban on logging, which has exposed them to suffering.

Killing biodiversity

“When you cut down the trees in the forest, you are killing biodiversity. Mukombero thrives well in the forest since it’s a natural plant that grows on its own. We don’t have its seeds that we can plant at home to ensure we remain in the business,” said Mutala

He  said Mukombero started diminishing in the forest when the harvesting of trees was left to non-experts who simply uprooted everything from the ground without leaving part of the herb for regeneration. 

The hawker says what is largely sold on the streets is not a natural version of the herb and it lacks the original taste. 

“We are now importing Mukombero from Uganda’s Kamuli Forest where we get the original version of the herb. What has remained in Kakamega forest is generic,” said Mutala

He buys a sack of 120 kilogrammes of mukombero at Sh8,000 from Uganda and pays Sh200 to customs agencies at the border point to bring the commodity in the country. In Kenya, a similar quantity goes at Sh15,000.

And with its shortage, many marriages are likely to hit a dead end.

In Kakamega town, we found Newton Otenyo buying a piece of the herb at Sh50.

When asked how Mukombero has been beneficial to him, Otenyo smiles timidly and says,  the herb has helped him have a healthy relationship with his wife.

“This thing has a lot of benefits.  It has been proven that Mukombero cleans the blood system and boosts blood circulation in the body,” said Otenyo

According to Martin Wanyonyi, a Bukusu elder, said Mukombero has been a saviour to many marriages as it has always ensured that men satisfy their wives sexually.

Wanyonyi said it is used to treat erectile dysfunction and other performance related ailments since it contains vitamins A, D, K and E as well as  minerals  like magnesium, iron, zinc and calcium and proteins too.

“Lifting the ban on logging was a tragedy. Where will our men get the miracle herb to save their marriages from crumbling,” said Wanyonyi

According Alice Harambe, a Senior Nursing officer at Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital (KCTRH), Mukombero has proved to treat erectile dysfunction in men.

“Although we don’t have extensive research on the use of Mukombero, people who use it have reported that Mukombero improve their sexual desire and function,” said Ms Harambe.

Isaac Misiko, a traditional herbalist, told The Nairobian that Mukombero gives a powerful sexual tonic and increases libido, adding that its roots or powder prevents diseases and sexual transmitted diseases (STIs) that affect the functioning of the male reproduction system and that when taken consistently, it improves sperms motility.

“Mukombero prevents flu infection, improves mental performance and brain function, boosts body immunity, anti-ageing agent and lowers blood sugar level. It also increases the testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone in the body,” said Mr Misiko.