Dwa Estate was established in 1915 British East Africa (a part of which later became Kenya), by the Henry Portlock East Africa, Ltd. Company. Costas has an embossing machine with the seal of one of the original directors of Dwa.

There used to be a hand-cranked telephone connecting Kibwezi's railway station to the Dwa offices until the 1950s. Unfortunately this connection rarely worked because the copper line was often cut up and used to make bracelets and other jewelry, so it was taken down.

The previous manager of Dwa, Mr. B., was a typical ex-British Army type and a very arrogant colonial. Every morning all the laborers had to line up in paradeground formation to be given their orders for the day's work. , No other vehicle was allowed to overtake him when he drove around the farm. Workers were supposed to salute him when he drove past them. 

When Costas first became Manager of Dwa, the farm was visited by Anglican Bishop Olang, a member of the Luo tribe, who came to see the Anglican congregation and church at the Dwa labor camp. As there was no place to put up the Bishop for the night Costas invited him to the Manager's house. The Bishop accepted and after an enjoyable stay left the next day. This had a profoundly positive effect on Costa's relations with his staff and the workers at Dwa, who saw that the new manager was neither a racist nor an arrogant colonial like Mr. B.

I first visited Dwa in ..... and returned with Lacen in ..... 

Baboons: Costas and his relations to them. Scarecrows for baboons along the young sisal. Vermin guards.

Poacher's: buffalo carcass with arrows in it and human remains nearby it, found when opening up bush for new cultivation.

When clearing the bush to plant new sisal, all trees (acacias, tamarind, baobab, ebony) were left intact. 

During an evening drive with my mother Ketty we went to the Dwa airstrip. Just before nightfall we counted a total of over 50 giraffe, zebra and warthog, all sharing the safety of the open terrain. A year later I returned to Dwa with Lacen but we  never saw any game along the airstrip; the animals had gone because of poaching or because of human encroachment on their environment. 

Late one evening we went to Titia rock, a huge dome-like rock that reared up above the acaias and the thick bush. We climbed up and as the sun set in an  explosion of dramatic colors we toasted it with cold beer and listened to the dramatic strains of the "Out of Africa" sountrack.

The Rhinos that made the news

...to be continued