A collection of medicinal plants that grow naturally in Nakuru County will be exhibited by a local youth group to boost research and cultural heritage.
According to Morris Tenya, the Coordinator of the Bibliographic Society of Kenya Project (BISOKEP), a community based information centre in Nakuru, his group has over 3,000 still pictures and several video clips of medicinal plants found in Nakuru County that will be showcased at the Nakuru Players Theater, staring from April 1 this year.
While talking to this writer at the group's offices in Milimani estate on Thursday, he said the pictures will also be showcased at Egerton University’s Cultural Week fete that will kick off on March 23, and Environmental Week that is normally held in July of every year.
“The objectives of this project are broad but our ultimate goal is to create awareness about the rich medicinal floral diversity of our county among researchers, traditional medicine people, environmental lovers and members of the public among other stakeholders. It is going to be something unique and simple but very broad in perspective,’’ said Tenya.
He added that his group would also liaise with the National Museums of Kenya to buy the collections to be stocked at the local Hyrax Pre-historic Site and Museum within Nakuru town, Kariandusi Pre-historic Site in Gilgil, and at the Egerton University run Lord Egerton Castle Museum in Ngata.
“It will be viable for these collections to be available at our local heritage centres because they exist to promote our cultural heritage. We are aware that these museums luck enough collections and it will be our joy if we lead the way in community based collection development to boost our local museums,’’ noted Tenya.
The group comprises of former Media and Communication and Library Sciences students of Egerton University based in Nakuru that indulges in community based information services.