Recent rains mean the southern reaches of the Rift Valley are lush. Rivers and streams are in spate and sporadically flooding the road that links Nairobi with the salt-rich Lake Magadi, a two and a half hour drive to the south west of the capital. Maasai herdsmen in brightly coloured shawls move their livestock across the sparsely populated valley floor. A gang of workmen are repairing stretches of the road damaged by the rains. Giraffes stand on the tree-lined peaks. Rare birds flit through the afternoon haze and visitors to the lake are met by a standing army of thousands of flamingos.
Lake Magadi is the second largest source of soda in the world. It is Kenya’s prime natural resource and a major source of revenue for the East African state.
Magadi is synonymous with soda. The town nestled on the eastern shore of the multi-hued lake is home to the one hundred year-old Magadi Soda Company. The British trader Marcus Samuel, whose other ventures included the foundation of the Shell Oil business, first spotted the economic potential of the soda reserves. The official centenary celebrations will take place on Friday 11/11/11. That will also include the commissioning of a new premium ash plant. Senior executives from the Tata Group, which has owned the business for the past five years, are flying in from India.
Magadi is a company town. All activity relates to the dredging, refining and transportation of the naturally occurring trona deposit built up over the past 20,000 years. The company employs around 800 people. Some are permanent residents of Magadi. Others live in company-provided accommodation during the week and return to their Nairobi homes on Fridays. The company, which funds the running and maintenance of the township, estimates that it supports a total community of around 5,000 people. There are also employees at Kajiado, from where soda distribution is managed via the Kenyan Railways network, and at the port of Mombasa. 90 per cent of the soda ash produced at Magadi is exported to markets in other parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent.
As a guest of Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited, I’ve been invited to join the celebrations. As a friend of Gateway House I will be writing a series of articles over the coming days. I shall be interviewing the company management as well as renewing acquaintance with the leadership of the local Maasai communities.
In the meantime, I am spending the morning with children at the town’s high school – giving a lesson on English grammar!
Mark Hannant is a business writer and communications consultant. He lives in Mumbai.
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