Col Mervyn Hugh Cowie was born in Nairobi in 1909, living in a hut on a farm at Kiambu, north-west of Nairobi. One day, while passing a lioness in the Nairobi National Park, he came off his motorbike. He then tirelessly began to pursue the colonial government to set aside national parks in Kenya, starting with the Nairobi National Park. Towards the end of 1945, the government established national parks and appointed trustees. In December 1946, the Nairobi Park was established and later the Tsavo National Park, Aberdare and Mount Kenya parks, Amboseli and many others, including the Serengeti in Tanzania.

Source: The Star April 17, 2020 00:00 UTC