This archive report was first published on 17 October 2019.
Published on October 17, 2019, a mysterious hill in Machakos, Kenya, has been puzzling residents and visitors alike with its extraordinary ability to defy gravity.
The hill, located about 12 kilometers from Machakos town along the Machakos-Kangundo road, has been a subject of fascination for many, with some even charging tourists a fee to demonstrate the phenomenon.
According to experts, the gravitational pull of such hills is uneven, with the force at the bottom being weaker than higher up, causing objects to move up the slope.
Gravity, scholars say, is not uniform everywhere on earth, with areas closer to the equator experiencing a slightly weaker gravitational pull than those farther away.
Other scholars attribute the existence of gravity hills to an optical illusion, where the lay of the land and the surrounding landscape create an optical illusion, making people confuse the downside of the hill for the upside.
Motorists have complained of their vehicles tending to be pulled downhill as they accelerate uphill, and locals have been capitalizing on the phenomenon by charging tourists to demonstrate it.
The Machakos county plans to build a tourism center at the spot, which will include a rest area, restaurants, and toilets to enhance the experience for visitors.
