In 1980 when Wildlife Clubs of Kenya began its decentralization programme, the Western Regional office was the first one to be opened. The objective was to attend to the fresh water lake ecology, the wetlands around them and forests that exist here especially the Kakamega forest. It thus strategically placed next to the Impala Park on the shores of Lake Victoria. The office shifted bases from the British Council, to the then game department and finally to its present venue. In 1990, WCK lost its only means of transport the Kombi, which was burnt by rioting public during the burial of the late foreign affairs Minister Dr. Robert Ouko. The activities of the regional office were run in close collaboration with the Action Group Officials and then confined within Kisumu district.

The office located behind the sunset hotel along the Adala Otuko road bordering the Impala Park. To date the office boasts a hostel, a vehicle, Telefax, portable generator, computer, and audiovisual equipment for the Mobile Education programme. It is fitted with water supply and electricity. The regional office serves both the Western and Nyanza provinces and parts of the Rift Valley province.
Interesting Programmes at the Western Region:

Environmental Footsteps: UK/Kenya
A programme that had a humble beginning has grown into a strong exchange programme with visits to Kenya and the UK. This has now taken a different approach and now involves the youth. It is a full youth exchange programme. It is referred to as “Tujuane” a Kiswahili terminology meaning “Lets know each other”. We shall be taking six students and two teachers from three linked secondary schools from western Kenya to the UK in march 2004. They will attend an environmental conference while in the UK at the wilderness Centre, sharing experiences of the two worlds and attending classes to gain experience on the UK school programmes. The return visit will be in June/July 2004 when 30 students and teachers from the UK linked schools will visit Kenya. They will stay at our WCK hostels in kisumu for two weeks learning the Kenyan students. This will promote a common understanding on the education curriculum in both countries enhancing global peace.

Swedish Cooperation
Nacka Upper Secondary School Sweden and the Swedish Youth organization Faltbiologerna (Field Biologists) who are involved in
The development of Lake Victoria Environmental Youth cooperation project. The project wishes to contribute to the Swedish commitment toward Lake Victoria region by transferring experiences in educating young people around the Baltic Sea of the Lake Victoria region. The Baltic Sea is shared by nine countries and faces similar problems as those faced by Lake Victoria. Three schools in Lake Victoria Basin are involved, one each of the three East African countries. Wildlife Clubs of Kenya, Wildlife Clubs of Uganda and Malihai Clubs of Tanzania are coordinating the project in the Lake region.
The objective of the project is to enhance cooperation fro learning purposes between the young people of the Lake region and those of the Baltic Sea.

Teachers and students from the Lake region will attend a conference in Nacka Sweden in September 2004 and are required to prepare presentations on the environmental situation in the Lake Victoria region. The theme of the conference is exploitation of the fresh resources at the Baltic Sea and lake Victoria. The visitors from Sweden presented WCK with learner’s guidebooks on the environmental situation in the Baltic Sea plus water testing guidebooks.

The Western region also boasts the existence of the following areas of interest:
Thim Lich Ohinga- a prehistoric site that consists of dry stone enclosure which were wide spread in South Nyanza region. They were constructed about 300 years ago by unknown people. They are equivalent to the great Zimbabwe ruins.
Fort Tenan- It lies on the Kavirondo Rift, a crack on the earth’s crust that runs at right angle to the main rift valley. This side crack was one of the first visible features of the rift valley and was formed about 10 million years ago.
Others are: Ndere Island, Ruma National Park, Kit-Mikaye, and the Yala delta among many others.

Ndere Island
Officially designated and gazetted as a National Park. The locals call it Chula Rabour- Chula meaning Island and Rabour- red thus Red island. They call it so because virtually all its top surface is covered with Themeda grass species, whose mature flowers are reddish in colour. Thus in large and dense masses they give the Island a close red tinge and thus its name. The Island (Park) covers, some 4.2 sq.km and is about 40kms west of Kisumu City. It was opened in 1986 especially after the translocation of 50 Impalas to that place from the Kisumu’s as Impala Park as well as creates an incentive or people to visit the Island. At times when insects are breeding within the last three months of the year, one can be amazed by the frivolous activity of dense masses of swifts, like mosquitoes, swooping and rising as they feed on flight. The diversity of birds both singing and warders is great. Hippos and the rarely spotted Crocodile take cool dives in the sheltered harbors of the Island. If you are lucky you will see both and possibly the porcupines that live here. Proper documentation of the biodiversity of Ndere Island is yet to be carried out and the explanation of how the non-flying or swimming individuals found their way here.
The Island has beautiful scenery with distant view of Homa Hill o its South; it’s sister Island Mageta Island, and the imagination of Kampala beyond Southwestern Horizon. The air and lake breeze leaves one with a feeling of freshness and buoyancy that you will feel like being on top of the world.
Many of Ndere Island visitors go there for scenic viewing; hiking, traditional boat rides in the local fishing boats, picnics and generally out door fun of being wild.

Lake Simbi Nyaima
Legends and folklore never ends. This crater lake of recent formation on the plains in Kokembo sub-location- central Karachuonyo, Homa bay district. A Luo legend has it that the lake came into being as a result of a chief who refused an old lady to join in the celebrations at his home. The old lady left his home annoyed and no sooner had she left that the chief’s home sunk with everything including the people and the buildings. In their place we have the lake. One amazing thing about the lake is that its water level hardly changes whether it rains or not. It has no inlet of outlet so it’s hard to explain the source of its water. It is a saline lake that has plenty of blue green algae. That is why during the dry period of July to December one can easily see plenty of greater and lesser flamingos.

The Kit Mikaye
This is a site to behold. It is on its way to Ndere Island and thus the best place to stop for a splendid sunset view. Its caves are full of African Insect bats. And has lovely places to stretch your back. Kit Mikaye means, the seat-Kit of the first wife-Mikaye. Legend has it that the husband of this lady left her here to go marry a second wife. When she died she was buried here and after sometime her bones were thrown up by some god and created these spectacular arrangements of boulders. And so they remain to date. It’s hard to believe that such delicate balance of stones could remain for all these years.