One of the most frequent and important visitors to Tsavo West National Park is Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua, and they know him as the waterman. This admirable gentleman drives for hours to deliver approximately 3,000 gallons of freshwater to the animals in wildlife.
Here is his story:
As soon as he arrives at the park, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, and zebras hurry to get their share of the water. They run to meet the waterman as soon as they hear the sound of his truck arriving.
“There’s no water here, so animals depend on humans for their water,” Patrick said.
Patrick fills the natural wells that are completely dry in the region with water. Besides the well needing to be filled with water, they also needed maintenance as buffaloes scramble to the water to free themselves from fleas and ticks.
Many animals can’t wait for the water to reach the well and run to Patrick’s truck as soon as they hear him coming.
“I found 500 buffaloes waiting in the well last night. When I arrived, they could smell it. The buffaloes approached us and started drinking water while I was standing there, and the well was still being filled. They were very excited.” Patrick exclaimed.
Patrick is a local farmer who had the idea to bring water to wildlife, given the conditions in which his native land is located. Since last year, many of the animals have been dying of thirst.
“It doesn’t rain like it used to,” said Patrick. “Since June last year, it hasn’t rained, so I started giving the animals water because I know if I don’t, they’re going to die.”
This man also has a conservation project called Tsavo Volunteers.
“I was born here surrounded by wildlife and I am very passionate about it. I decided to help raise awareness, so that when these children grow up, they will protect everything around us.” said Patrick.
Just last year, he rented a water truck and brought water to several locations around Tsavo West. “The truck is heavy and doesn’t go too fast. You must be patient and go hand over the water,“ he said.
His kind work has touched the hearts of many people around the world, and has reached the United States, where three women who don’t know Patrick in person decided to help him stay afloat.
When Angie Brown heard about the drought situation in Kenya, she connected on Facebook with Cher Callaway and Tami Calliope. All three decided to collaborate. Callaway had already worked with Patrick several times but from a distance. “His commitment to wildlife and his legacy is immense.”
Callaway has created a GoFundMe page that has collected more than $450,000 from people around the world. All proceeds are earmarked for the water distribution service led by Patrick Mwalua. Patrick is expected to be able to buy his own truck soon.
Patrick deserves a new truck and much more, the work he’s doing is admirable. He is a true hero who cares about animals living in the wild and day by day suffer from the climate changes, drought, and other threats around them.
Want to contribute to his great work? You can do it here.
We encourage you to share this story with your friends and colleagues. The world needs more people like Patrick.