Turkana County is a county in northwestern Kenya in the Northern Rift region. It is home to the Turkana people. It is Kenya's largest county by land area of 77,597.8 km2 followed by Marsabit County with an area of 66,923.1 km2. It is bordered by the countries of Uganda to the west; South Sudan and Ethiopia, including the disputed Ilemi Triangle, to the north and northeast; and Lake Turkana to the east. To the south and east, neighbouring counties in Kenya are West Pokot, Baringo and Samburu Counties, while Marsabit County is on the opposite (i.e. eastern) shore of Lake Turkana. Turkana's capital and largest town is Lodwar. The county had a population of 926,976 according to the 2019 census report. It was projected to reach 1.048 million people in 2024.
History Four sites of Stone Age cultures are situated on tributaries along the west side of Lake Turkana in West Turkana at Lokalalei, Kokiselei and Nadungu. They have been of interest to archaeologists since 1988.B S Blades, B Adams, Lithic Materials and Paleolithic Societies John Wiley & Sons, 12 May 2009 Retrieved 2012-07-08 C R Ewen, Artifacts Rowman Altamira, 1 April 2003 Retrieved 2012-07-08 (secondary) D Waugh, Geography: An Integrated Approach Retrieved 1994
The earliest late Stone Age industries in prehistory were found in Turkana, at the site of Lomekwi, and date to 3,300,000 years.C Ehret, M Posnansky – The Archaeological and Linguistic Reconstruction of African History University of California Press, 1982 Retrieved 2012-07-08 At the archaeological site of Nataruk, in southwest Turkana, scientists have discovered the oldest evidence of inter-group conflict in the past, establishing that warfare occurred between groups of hunter-gatherers.
From 1900 until 1926, the British colonial administration in Kenya gradually established control over the Turkana people.T G Grenham – The Unknown God: Religious And Theological Interculturation Peter Lang, 2005 Retrieved 2012-07-08 and by 1926, the Turkana people were fully under the control of the British colonial administration, who subsequently forcibly restricted their movements to the Turkana region.S Williams – Ian Hodder (ed) – The Archaeology of Contextual Meanings Cambridge University Press, 6 August 1987 Retrieved 2012-07-08 Merriam-Webster dictionary online
In 1958, the district experienced an influx of people classified as belonging to the Turkana group. These had been expelled from the Kenyan town of Isiolo, and forcibly relocated to the Turkana district by the colonial administration.V Broch-Due, R A Schroeder – Producing Nature and Poverty in Africa Nordic Africa Institute, 2000 Retrieved 2012-07-08
The district maintained an all but complete isolation until 1976 when road-blocks leading to the district were lifted by the Kenyan government.D McNeill, S D Duncan, J Cassell, E T Levy – Gesture and the Dynamic Dimension of Language: Essays in Honor of David McNeill John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2007 Retrieved 2012-07-08 It is still considered to be a "remote part" of the country.CAFOD, Remembering Elsie, Side by Side, Summer 2022, p. 23, accessed on 27 February 2026
In 2000, the people in the north of the county were reported as being harassed by marauding Ethiopians, and were consequently forced to relocate to southern areas.Traditional Occupations of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples: Emerging Trends International Labour Organization, 2000 Retrieved 2012-07-08
Demographics Population
Religion Christianity is the largest religion in Turkana County, representing 86% of the population. Catholicism is the largest denomination with 44% of the population being Catholic and 28% being Protestant.
Religion (2019 Census)NumberCatholicism406,439 Protestant 265,802Evangelical Churches 87,298African instituted Churches 22,498Orthodox2,806Other Christian17,210Islam30,776Hindu 134Traditionists43,412Other8,773Atheists25,361Don't Know11,221Not Stated480
Language Turkana is known in the local language as ng'turkana.P. H. Gulliver, The Family Herds: A Study of Two Pastoral Tribes in East Africa, the Jie and Turkana, Routledge, 31 January 2003 Retrieved 2012-07-08 Some place names in the country are attributed to the language of the Pokot and Samburu peoples, representing a tradition in the area of inhabitation by these peoples prior to displacement by the Turkana.NC Dorian, Investigating Obsolescence: Studies in Language Contraction and Death Cambridge University Press, 3 September 1992, Retrieved 2012-07-08
Geography
The county is within the boundaries of the former Rift Valley province.N Middleton, P O'Keefe, Disaster And Development: The Politics of Humanitarian Aid, Pluto Press, 20 November 1997 Retrieved 2012-07-08 According to data provided in 1991, the majority of the population were farmers.W Critchley, Looking After Our Land: Soil and Water Conservation in Dryland Africa p.45, Oxfam, 1991 Retrieved 2012-07-08 With an area of nearly 77,000 km2, Turkana is the largest county, including the area covered by Lake Turkana, in Kenya.
Turkana County is emerging as a major source of electric power in Kenya. Kengen's Turkwel Hydro Power Plant, situated in the southwest of Turkana County, produces hydroelectric power connected to the national power grid at Lessos. The county is currently experiencing crude oil exploration in Block 10BB and Block 13T and has the potential for geothermal, solar and wind energy.
Kekarongole and Katilu had irrigation networks made commencing sometime during or after 1975.B Calas, CA Mumma Martinon – Shared Waters, Shared Opportunities: Hydropolitics in East Africa African Books Collective, 30 November 2010 Retrieved 2012-07-08
Rainfall per annum (1982 data), is less than , with a range of between 115 mm and 650 mm.C Ehret, M Posnansky -W Critchley
There were thirteen drought periods in a period of 50 years beginning 1938.S Boinski, P A Garber – On the Move: How and Why Animals Travel in Groups University of Chicago Press, 15 May 2000 Retrieved 2012-07-08
Economics Turkana is the poorest region in Kenya. The county is, however, experiencing upward reviews due to ongoing mineral exploration, especially of oil and water resources. Turkana County residents are also enjoying the fruits of devolution. Devolution of power in Kenya is viewed as a blessing for the forgotten people of Turkana. It has been received in the sub-counties with much appreciation due to its direct benefits to citizens. The current administration shares these benefits equally to all sub counties in addition to enhancing citizen participation in development activities.
On 26 March 2012, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki announced that oil had been discovered in Turkana County after exploratory drilling by Anglo-Irish firm Tullow Oil, he further stated that:
Gold panning was reported (2005) as occurring at Lochoremoit, Namoruputh, Lokiriama and Ng' akoriyiek.Watson, D.J., Binsbergen, J. van – Review of VSF-Belgium's 'Turkana emergency livestock off-take' intervention 2005 ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD), 2008 Retrieved 2012-07-08
According to Barrett (2001) cited in Watson the wealth of a person is kept in the form of cattle.Watson, D.J., Community farmer field school animal health facilitators: hybridizing private animal health care and capacity building in remote pastoralist areas ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD) Retrieved 2012-07-08
Figures stated in 1998 gave an average estimated herd size of 15–20.P Bonnet, Dromadaires et chameaux, animaux laitiers / Dromedaries and Camels, Milking Animals Editions Quae, 1 January 1998 Retrieved 2012-07-08
In 2013 it was announced by UNESCO that large reserves of groundwater had been discovered in Turkana County using satellite exploration technology, later confirmed by drilling. Extraction of the water began in 2014 and is being piped to Lodwar for irrigation and human consumption.naibuzz.com/2014/05/18/mining-of-water-begins-in-turkana-Kenya/ However, this project was subsequently abandoned when it was found that the water in the aquifer was too salty to be treated or to be used for other purposes.
Government The promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 marked a momentous point in the country's history. The Constitution provided for, among others, enhanced checks and balances within the government, an enhanced role of Parliament and citizens, an independent judiciary, and a progressive Bill of Rights. Turkana County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya. The county is led by H.E. Governor Jeremiah Lomorukai, and Turkana County has 10 ministries.
Travel The county is connected to Nairobi through regular commercial flights to Lodwar Airport. The World Food Programme runs a special UN Humanitarian Air Service for UN and INGO staff.
County subdivisions Local authorities (councils)AuthorityTypePopulation*Urban pop.* Lodwar Municipality 1,000,000 16,981 Turkana County 414,963 26,563 Total – 450,860 43,544
Administrative divisionsDivisionPopulation*PopulationdensityHeadquarters Central 35,919 45 Lodwar Kaaling 24,053 3 Kainuk 11,799 7 Kainuk Kakuma 97,114 26 Kakuma Kalokol 28,735 5 Kalokol Katilu 12,548 10 katilu Kerio 15,409 6 Kibish 6,056 – Lapur 12,780 6 Lokichar 21,791 5 Lokichar Lokichogio 36,187 5 Lokichogio Lokitaung 22,586 12 Lokitaung Loima 33,979 10 Lorugum Lokori 17,915 3 Lomelo 6,088 1 Kapedo Oropol 18,020 3 Oropol Turkwel 49,881 9 Total 450,860 7 (average) -
The county has six constituencies: Loima Constituency Turkana Central Constituency Turkana East Constituency Turkana North Constituency Turkana South Constituency Turkana West Constituency
The counties have six sub counties sub-countyheadquartersTurkana CentralLodwarTurkana NorthLokitaungTurkana SouthLokicharTurkana EastLokoriTurkana WestKakumaLoimaLorugum
Villages and settlements Anglogitat Angorangora
See also Eliye Springs, a village located in Kalokol division Kenyans for Kenya Ilemi Triangle
References
External links http://www.aridland.go.ke/bulletins/June%202006-Turkana.pdf http://www.aridland.go.ke/districts.asp?DistrictID=1 Map of the district Turkana County Government website