DEAR Sir,

This is a note regarding the type of the specie of snake you recently displayed in your paper’s column as being the reptile of “good omen” because it was alleged it had brought the good message in Mundere village, Musanga in Bunyala in Budalangi constituency.

SIR, You and the happy villagers, plus those of the milling crowd which thronged the tiny village made a big blunder. This made a bad joke out of the type of snake which is a potential danger to human beings, armed as it is, with deadly venom. So it was not good message as such.

You should ask any curator of a snake park, or handlers in our national museum of Kenya, and he or she would tell you that the type of the reptile you pictured and printed in you column is the fiercest African Black-Mamba, that is capable of bringing sudden death within only few minutes.

It is not as white as such. Only its underneath is white or brownest, depending on its natural habitat. Its top color is like or semi green like an American Army khaki, and can grow up to between 6 and 8 ft, and move with a lot of speed, that could much be fastest than a human being, especial in the grass area. Its natural habitat is hilly with rocky areas, and most of the time it stays up in the tree and mainly rocky areas.

It is shy on face to face encounters with human beings or domesticated and wild animals, but it could strike twice or thrice of it felt its life is threatened. And its venom takes effect within minutes. It can cause death though blood congestion in the heart and brain hemorrhage.

It is called “Ndemu” in Dho-Luo vernacular and it is the most feared reptile among the tropical African snakes. It is found in areas with humid climate like Bondo, Bundalangi, Samia Hills, Lambwe Valley, Ruri and Gembe hills in Mbita, Gwassi, Kobuya Mawego in East Karachuonyo, Huma hills in west Karachuonyo locations and also in Nyakach South around Anding’o Opanga near Odino or Sondu /Miriu hydro power project. It is also common around Wire hills near Oyugis.

This snake specie is also common in the Nyanza sugar belt areas of Kibos Miwani,and along the Nandi Escarpment, Chemelil Muhoroni,Koru, Fort-Tennan and some parts of Soin and Sigowet Divisions of Belgut and Ainamoi constituencies in the Kericho County. It is also common in Taita Taveta, Loitokotok, Kajiado, Narok and Trans-Mara areas. It is only second to the ever shy Puff-Adder in the recorded deaths caused by snake in many part of Africa.

Anyone who encountered this type of snake should take to his or her heels and flee as fast as possible, because its bite venom could inflict damage and death to a human being within only minutes.

It could have taken refuge on the roof top of Mr Abuoga’s family kitchen due to other factors such as the hut having been disused or due to the recent drought and humid weather that forced reptiles to seek for shelter from the heat. But in future anyone sighting this type of snake should run away from it. It is potential of causing sudden death to even to a huge animal like buffalo or a cow and even an elephant.

Snake experts should move to the snake prone regions and educated the public of the danger and damage to human being that could be caused by the reptiles.

– Leo Odera Omolo, In Kisumu Via e-mail