Grogan’s Castle

Eccentric Settlers in Taita Taveta

Grogan’s Castle Hotel: An Explorers Hidey-Hole

Feeling like a Mexican hacienda grafted onto the soils of Africa, this white washed colonial relic has a lovely hilltop perch and is steeped in rich history – the building dates to late colonial era and takes its name from Colonel Ewart Scott Grogan, the influential settler who built it. Known simply as Grogan’s Castle 23 km south-east of Ziwani Voyager Tented Camp, taking the turnoff before that into Ziwani Voyager off A23 Voi Taveta Road, this colossal and striking brick holding was completed in the 1930s, in the then back of beyond, as a residence for the eccentric Grogan, a settler who wore many hats – explorer, colonial administrator, and entrepreneur.

Noted her his eccentric appearance, Ewart Grogan would be prove to be a man of greatness, brave and gentle, able and wise, who could combine relentless attack on enemies and hostile conditions with an equally relentless love of little children, when he undertook an unrepeatable odyssey. In his youthful years he became the first known person to walk the entire length of Africa, Cape to Cairo, as a fitting test of his character to his stepfather who disapproved of a match with Gertrude Watt. In 1899, aged 24 years, he set out with a small party to walk across Africa aiming to put under his achievement this gallant distinction. Next to winning his ladylove, he was going to do some surveying for British capitalist Cecil Rhodes, who had plans to build a railway and telegraph system spanning the continent.

Although that was the title he gave his book published in 1902, Cape to Cairo; the First Traverse of Africa from South to North, actually the walk, in four months of effort, was not from the Cape to Cairo, but from the northern tip of Lake Nyassa (now Malawi) to Sobat on the Upper Nile, but it was gruelling enough, taking him among ferocious cannibals and almost ruining his health. Still, this was in 1899, when Africa was no place to approach with a butterfly-net. With a momentary disruption in Mozambique, his object of the trek became a successful fit in 1900.

After a hero’s welcome, with commendations from both the monarch and the Royal Geographical Society, Grogan and his new wife, Gertrude, arrived in Kenya in 1904. And from the get-go Grogan was a popular and gregarious man, using good humour as a general pitch, often in the limelight, which sometimes brought him trouble with Colonial Government and earned him a short stint in jail. Grogs, as he was generally known, had wit, intelligence, eloquence, as well as a measure of flamboyance. As an administrator he was unremitting in his interpretation of the rule of law, a battering-ram, throwing the book at the locals for minor technicality.

Arriving in the East Africa just two years after the Uganda Railway had reached its terminus on Lake Victoria, he was to make his somewhat chequered career. There was nothing he liked better than to find a weak spot in the government’s hide and, like a hornet, puncture it with his sting. A flaw he discovered in the mining laws prompted him to peg claims all round Nairobi and threaten to dig up Government Road, a threat only averted by the cursory summoning of the Legislative Council which passed an amendment within 24 hours. When Delamere died at the end of 1931, the obvious leader to succeed him was Ewart Grogan. He was experienced in local politics, well read in finance and economics; and a fluent public speaker.

In his grey years, and the oldest member of Kenya’s legislative body, when asked what should be done about the Mau Mau, he answered cheerfully: “It will be a bit of a rat-hunt, I suppose. But we’ll come out on top all right.” Grogan had the air of a man who thought life was not complete without a bit of trouble from the locals now and then. As an entrepreneur he was quick in expanding his business empire across Kenya. During WWII he retired to Taveta where, together with Gertrude, lived out their productive years. In 1943 Gertrude unexpectedly died following a heart attack while in Nairobi. In his golden years Grogan lived with his companion, Camilla Towers, at Grogan’s Castle, until his death in South Africa in 1976, age 92.

The egressed house was later refurbished, particularly from 2008 when Basil Criticos bought the property and took on renovations. Sequestered, high on a hill, with a monastic quality to it, great for reposeful contemplation with commanding views of the plains, this timeless house, with six cozy room-suites, offers a family-friendly hidey-hole deserving of a weekend escape. Taking a break from the grand views overlooking the plains, Tsavo West and Kilimanjaro, you can tour the old canal system he built in the 1950s. Out on the road it is equidistant to either lakes Chala (north) or Jipe (south). From Voi, direction Taveta, Grogan’s Castle is 121 km.

1900 marked the arrival and influence of various settlers, notably of the British and Indians, attracted by fertile agricultural lands and untapped market for trade. These settlers and individuals, some famous as local eccentrics, left lasting legacies in Kenya’s history, contributing to its cultural, economic, and political development. The legacies of the eccentrics are still much-talked about today.

Index of Eccentric Settlers in Kenya



Kiambu County - William Northrup McMillan, Kilifi County - Johann Ludwig Krapf, Mombasa County - Allidina Visram, Makueni County - Peter Cameron Scott, Machakos County - Frank O'Brien Wilson, Meru County - Edward B. Horne, Muranga County - John Bayes, Nakuru County - Lord Maurice Egerton, Lord Delamere, Diana Delamere, Alan Root, Galbraith Lowry Egerton Cole, Lady Eleanor Balfour, Nairobi County - Karen Blixen, Lord Erroll, Alice de Janzé, Derek Erskine, Nyandarua County - Geoffrey Buxton, John W. Etherington, Robert F. Carnegie, Nyeri County - Major Eric Sherbrooke Walker, Robert Baden-Powell, William Holden, Samburu County - Rhodia Mann, Taita Taveta County - Ewart Grogan, Denys Finch Hatton, Tana River County - George G. Adamson

Situated in south-western Kenya, and part of the Coast Region of Kenya, Taita-Taveta County is known for its stunning landscapes, rich biodiversity, and cultural heritage. The county features diverse landscapes, including the Taita Hills, which are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and the vast plains of Tsavo, which are part of Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks – Kenya’s largest wildlife preserve.

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85 Destinations in Taita Taveta County, arranged as one would visit these - north, west then south - with aid of in-depth narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:

Chyulu Hills National Park, Kisula Caves, Kampi ya Kanzi Lodge, Tsavo West National Park, Kamboyo Lodge, Mzima Springs, Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge, Ancient Roaring Rocks, Ngulia Hills, Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary, Kitchwa Tembo Hill, Chaimu Crater, The Five Sister's Hills, Shetani Lava, Finch Hattons Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Chala, Crystal Lake Chala Caves, Voyager Ziwani Tented Camp, Sniper Tree, Gicheha Ziwani Farm, The Njoro Springs, Grogan’s Castle, Mokine Hill, Lake Jipe, Lake Jipe Eco-lodge, Salaita Hill, The Taveta Military Cemetery, Maktau Indian Cemetery, Maktau Railway Station, Taita Hills Game Lodge, Taita Hills Museum, Sarova Salt Lick Lodge, Mwashoti Hill, Maili 27 Bridge, Mwakitau Hill, Lumo Game Sanctuary, Lions Bluff Lodge, Lualenyi Camp, Ndolwa Game Sanctuary, Dembwa Falls, Bura Mission Church, Vuria Hill, Taita Hills, Wesu Rock, Taita Rocks Hotel, Malowa's Shrine, Taita Skull Caves, Taita Research Station, Kilangarenyi Falls, Ngangao Forest, Kenyatta Caves, Mount Sagalla, Rev. Wray Memorial Museum, Ngutuni Wildlife Sanctuary, Volunteer International Camp Tsavo, Mount Kasigau, Kasigau Base Camp, The Maungu Plains, Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary, Wushumbu Conservancy, Teita Sisal Estate, Mbulia Conservancy, Tsavo East National Park, Ithumba Elephant Nursery, Yatta Plateau, Tsavo Springs, Emusaya Wilderness Arc, Galdessa Little Camp, Lugard's Falls, Mudanda Rock, Voi War Cemetery, Lion Hill Lodge, Kanderi Swamp, Voi Wildlife Lodge, Aruba Dam, A. Aruba Lodge, Nyiri Desert

Know More About Taita Taveta County: Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including distance chart, Airports, Climate & National Monuments

What’s The Air Like in T.Taveta?

The mean temperature in Taita Taveta is 23 Degrees Celsius, cooler around the hills and hotter on the Nyika where the Tsavos sit. Rainfall distribution is uneven, with the highlands receiving higher rains than the lowland areas.