The imposing signage with Kuhona Café inscribed in bold red type swings in the cool Limuru breeze outside some non-descript container kiosk.
It is 9am and beyond the ageing silver curtain covering the doorway, a sizeable number of men has already gathered.
They are there for treatment. And it makes some sense since ‘Kuhona’ roughly translated is ‘to heal’.
Yet, there are no red crosses to be found on the door, or stethoscopes around necks—not even a syringe bearing liquefied healing compounds.
But that is because Kuhona Café, popularly known as ‘The Den’, is not a medical clinic.
It does its brand of healing using less, way less, complicated composition—camel soup.
And what can some broth boiled out of the bones of the desert ship cure, you probably wonder?
Well, low libido in men. And it seems the problem is especially severe in the chilly township of Limuru, with Kuhona now the talk of town.
Two women, Peris Njambi and Emma Wanja borrowed the tips for the enterprise they started late last year from a friend in Nairobi’s Eastleigh, and Limuru proved a good launchpoint following persistent complaints by women of poor performance by local men.
“The libido problem has been high in this area due to excessive consumption of alcohol. Women have been complaining over lack of service by their spouses who over-indulge during the day,” Njambi, told People Daily.
Many men we talked to concurred that low libido had become such a huge problem that most of them, some as young as 20, have turned to the “Blue Pill’” (viagra), which, sadly, has claimed about eight relatively young ones from overdose and abuse.
“The camel soup has become like (the Biblical) manna for the local man. We had a serious problem mainly caused by the abuse of illicit liquor in this area. This must be the prayers of our women at work,” said Peter Njoroge, a loyal fan.
Referral status
Situated at the main matatu terminus in the town, Kuhona offers a cup at Sh50 and one can take as many as three, depending on how far past the ‘E’ line their gauge of sex drive lies.
It has grown so popular, it now has hit ‘referral’ status.
“I was introduced to this place by a friend after years of seeking medical help over my poor performance in bed, one that led me to develop a deep dislike for women, including my wife. I’m now a stallion,” said another patron Kamau Githinji.
His elderly colleague said he suffered from erectile dysfunction for long with the problem not responding to treatment.
“A relative referred me here and after three weeks of drinking the soup, my problem disappeared,” he said.
According to Wanja, the ingredients, which include a dash of the herbal Moringa oleifera tree and black pepper, make the soup so potent some men are forced to rush home early for ‘some relief’.
“Sex urge mostly comes a few hours later but when it does, some find themselves in a pressure of quite some significance. We usually warn our customers of the possible repercussions before they take the soup,” she said.
Major fans The soup has become so popular, she added, that now, women are buying for their underperforming spouses, with wives the major beneficiaries.
“Married women have paid us visits to applaud us for making their men ‘whole again’. Some even offer cash to encourage us to continue serving their husbands well,” Wanja said
Men suffering from diabetes are also high consumers of the soup and make orders which are delivered as early as 8 am.
Another group leading in the consumption of the soup is livestock traders in the local market.
Njambi says this group finishes their days work as early as 9am after which they hit the clubs.
“This habit has so badly affected us in terms of performance in bed that even bar maids refuse to entertain us, even at a better pay, saying we just ‘waste them’,” said one of the traders who sought anonymity.
Njambi said they get the bones for the soup from Eastleigh, but high demand has forced them to engage sources in Isiolo and Garissa.
Camel bone marrow has been proven scientifically to be a major libido enhancer, with the properties said to come from the numerous herbs the humped mammal eats in the jungle.
Wanja says their major plans revolve around expanding the business to cater for the rising number of customers.
