Kenya’s only existing sanctuary for the endangered roan antelope, and the only terrestrial park in the entire Nyanza region, was initially established and gazetted as the Lambwe Valley Game Reserve in 1966, to protect its indigenous population of rare roan antelope, which exist nowhere else in Kenya. It was re-gazetted as a national park In 1983.
The sanctuary acquired its name “Ruma” after being called so by Luo’s most powerful magician and wizard, the much-revered and feared Gor Mahia (the same Gor Mahia whose name was later taken up by Kenya’s most successful Football club ,Gor Mahia FC) who lived on the nearby Sigama Hills, situated less than 5 Kilometers away from the the park.
Ruma Naational Park is a long, narrow corridor of land on a fist-shaped peninsular extending into Lake Victoria. The terrain is mostly rolling grassland, with tracts of open woodland thickets. The soils are mainly “black cotton” clay (Oxisols).
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