Haller Park and indeed the rehabilitated quarries would not be what they are today if it was not for

The Red Legged Millipeeds

In begining of the rehabilitation process, an indigenous pioneer tree, Casuarina equisetifolia, was used to initially colonize the barren quarry floor. A lot of needles were shed, quickly forming a dense carpet of leaf-needles on the bare quarry floor. Due to their high tannin content, the needles are too tough and bitter for bacteria to break down into humus that other plants could grow in.

Our Unsung Heroe

With the help of the millipedes, and over a period of 30 yeas a humus layer of 10-12 cm depth has been created.

Millipedes in Love

Baby Millipede

Some Fun facts to know

Number of named species :- about 10 000

Millipede with the most legs :- Illacme plenipes 375 pairs or 750 legs altogether

Millipede with the least legs :- Polyxenus lagurus 12 pairs or 24 legs altogether

Longest known living Millipede :- Graphidostreptus gigas and Scaphistostreptus seychellarum both at 28cm or 11 ins

Longest known Millipede ever :- Arthropleura sp. were up to 1.8 metres or 6 feet long and 0.45 metres or 1.6 feet wide (though there is some discrepency about whether they actually were a millipede)

Crazy Millipede - species name unknown – spotted in Haller Park a light coloured millipede that did not curl up when touched but went into an incredible dance routine hence its name.

Last month staff members as well as Lafarge Eco Systems donated food items to the International Red Cross to feed the Internally Displaced Families in Mombasa, victims of the ongoing spate of violence experienced in the country. Our Human Resources Manager Emily Waita hands over cartons of long life milk, lentils, sugar and wheat flour, to the Red Cross Representative, as other members of staff look on.