Isiolo | |
---|---|
Town | |
Coordinates: 00°21′N37°35′E / 0.350°N 37.583°E | |
Country | Kenya |
County | Isiolo County |
Population | |
• Total | 98,000 (no reliable sources found) |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Website | https://isiolo.go.ke/ |
Isiolo is a town in Isiolo County, of which it is the capital. It is located in the upper eastern region of Kenya and is geographically considered the center of the country Kenya. It lies 285 kilometers north of the capital Nairobi. The town grew around the local military camps. Much of the population consists of Borana and Ameru as well as minority groups including Turkana, Samburu, Somali among others. The town has an estimated population of 78,250, [1] most of them living around the outskirts of the town. Like most African cities, there has been a steady increase in the urban population in recent years, especially moving from as far as Moyale, Marsabit and Mandera. Isiolo town is also becoming a centre of interest because of its newly acquired status as a resort city cashing in on the popular Samburu and Shaba Game reserves, which have become preferred destinations after the famed Maasai Mara. [2] Isiolo lies along the long A2 Road, leading towards Marsabit and Moyale much further north.
Isiolo is set to become a major part of Kenya's economic development plan Vision 2030. [3] The plan calls for Isiolo to become a tourist centre that will include casinos, hotels, upscale retail outlets, a modern airport and transport facilities. Isiolo will also be a transport hub as the location of the fork of the LAPSSET.
Isiolo District was designated as the Headquarters of the Northern frontier Districts while it was under the British East Africa Protectorate in 1922, until the North Eastern was carved out as a separate province in 1963 when Kenya gained its independence.
Isiolo is also known for its large market, while brass, copper and aluminium jewellery [4] -making is a local industry. Isiolo town is also a transport hub to the northern border town of Moyale. Trucks to and from Moyale make stop-overs boosting the hotel business in the town centre. Isiolo has been the headquarters of N.F.D.(Northern Frontier Districts) since the issue of the District Ordinance act 1937 & NFD commission 1962. Isiolo was made the headquarters of the District since there was previously no urban centre to serve as district headquarters. The Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba National Reserve lie north of the town, while Lewa Downs Reserve in Meru County is located south of Isiolo. The Meru National Park also in adjacent Meru County lies in the North East of the town.
Since 1995, the town has been the seat of the Vicariate Apostolic of Isiolo. On July 14, 2005, Bishop Luigi Locati, who represented the Roman Catholic Church in Isiolo, was murdered. The High Court sent Father Guyo Waqo Malley and four others — Mohamed Molu, Aden Ibrahim Mohammed, Mahati Ali Halake and Roba Balla Bariche — to the gallows for planning and murdering Bishop Luigi Locati.
The town of Isiolo is small but cosmopolitan.[ citation needed ] Isiolo is home to the Ameru, Samburu, Turkana, Rendille, Boran, Somali. Additionally, there are some Indian shopkeepers.
The town is religiously diverse with a near-equal Christian and Muslim population. The Jamia mosque and the Catholic church's twin bell towers are among the landmarks of Isiolo town.
Generally the town has hot climate and has avenues of trees within the town to provide shade. During June–August period the town experiences strong dry winds and is generally very dusty. [5]
Daisy Waugh's book A Small Town in Africa (1994) is about six months Waugh spent living in Isiolo.
American actress Drew Barrymore opened The Barrymore Learning Academy, a school in Isiolo, in 2004. [6]
Grace Lolim is a human rights and peace activist, the chair of the Isiolo Peace Committee.
The trans-African automobile route, the Cairo-Cape Town Highway, passes through Isiolo. The Kenyan section of this road from Nairobi to the Ethiopian border is designated A2.
The town is served by Isiolo Airport, which has been upgraded to an international airport to serve tourism and local exports. [7]
George Wajackoyah in his manifesto mentioned that he would change the national capital of Kenya to Isiolo. [8]
Meru is a town in eastern Kenya. It is the headquarters of the Meru County, and the seventh largest urban centre in the country. Meru urban center has a population of 80,191 residents (2019).
The Eastern Province of Kenya was one of 8 Provinces of Kenya. Its northern boundary ran along with that of Ethiopia; the North Eastern Province and Coast Province lay to the east and south; and the remainder of Kenya's provinces, including Central Province, ran along its western border. The provincial capital was Embu.
Marsabit is a town in the northern Marsabit County in Kenya. It is situated in the former Eastern Province and is almost surrounded by the Marsabit National Park. The town is located 170 kilometres (110 mi) east of the centre of the East African Rift at an elevation of between 1300 and 1400 metres. It serves as the capital of Marsabit County, and lies southeast of the Chalbi Desert in a forested area known for its volcanoes and crater lakes and others.
Loiyangalani is a small town located on the southeastern coast of Lake Turkana in Kenya. The town has a population of 5,117. Loiyangalani means "a place of many trees" in the native Samburu tongue. It is home to Rendille and Elmollo People but now has other Kenyan communities like Turkana people, Luo, Meru, and Somali. It was founded near a freshwater spring in the 1960s where the Rendille and El Molo people live. Its main industries include fishing, tourism and gold panning. It is a popular tourist destination in Northern Kenya, as the surrounding El Molo and Turkana villages offer unique experiences.
Marsabit County is a county in Kenya, covering a surface area of 66,923.1 square kilometres. Marsabit is the second largest county by size in Kenya after Turkana county which has an area of 71,597.8 km2. Its capital is Marsabit and its largest town is Moyale. According to the 2019 census, the county has a population of 459,785. It is bordered to the North by Ethiopia, to the West by Turkana County to the South by Samburu County and Isiolo County, and to the East by Wajir County.
Isiolo County is a county in the former Eastern Province of Kenya. Its population is 268,002 and its capital and largest city is Isiolo. Isiolo County is to be the first county to be developed as part of the Kenya Vision 2030 program. Other upcoming urban centres are: Garbatulla, Modogashe, Kinna, Merti and Oldonyiro. The county is home to Sakuye and Borana tribes but also has a significant number of people from Turkana, Samburu, Gabra, Garre and Meru communities.
Turkana County is a county in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It is Kenya's largest county by land area of 77,597.8km2 followed by Marsabit County with an area of 66,923.1km2. 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 shore of Lake Turkana. Turkana's capital and largest town is Lodwar. The county had a population of 926,976 at the 2019 census.
Local authorities in Kenya are the bodies controlling local governance in urban areas in Kenya.
The Northern Frontier Province or Northern Province, or initially referred to as 'Northern Frontier District' (NFD) was one of the provinces of British Kenya. Originally, the Northern Frontier covered the northern region of East Africa Protectorate later succeeded by British Kenya, it later included half of the Jubaland Province that remained as part of Kenya when the other half was ceded to the Italian Empire.
The districts of Kenya were divided into 262 divisions (matarafa). Divisions of Kenya were further subdivided into locations. Today's counties of Kenya are based on the merging of some of the districts on this list and since the divisions are one level under the districts they are now the sub-counties. This is because Kenya recently changed its constitution and 47 Counties emerged. Here are the divisions listed below, by district :
The Shifta War or Gaf Daba (1963–1967) was a secessionist conflict in which ethnic Somalis in the Northern Frontier District (NFD) of Kenya attempted to join Somalia. The Kenyan government named the conflict "shifta", after the Swahili word for "bandit", as part of a propaganda effort. The Kenyan counter-insurgency General Service Units forced civilians into "protected villages" as well as killing livestock kept by the pastoralist Somalis.
The wildlife of Kenya refers to its fauna. The diversity of Kenya's wildlife has garnered international fame, especially for its populations of large mammals. Mammal species include lion, cheetah hippopotamus, African buffalo, wildebeest (Connochaetes), African bush elephant, zebra (Equus), giraffe (Giraffa), and rhinoceros. Kenya has a very diverse population of birds, including flamingo and common ostrich.
The A2 road is a long road in Kenya extending from Nairobi to the Ethiopian border.
Wamba is a small town in Samburu County in central Kenya. It is located south-southwest edge of the Mathews Range, and northwest of the Samburu National Reserve. The northbound Isiolo - Moyale road is about 40 kilometres drives east of Wamba.
Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project, also known as Lamu corridor is a transport and infrastructure project in Kenya that, when complete, will be the country's second transport corridor. Kenya's other transport corridor is the Northern Corridor, which links Mombasa to Uganda, passing through Nairobi and much of the Northern Rift. Some basic LAPSSET infrastructure has been built. The construction of LAPSSET's main components is currently ongoing with construction of the first berth at Lamu Port completed in October 2019.. Although the project is not formally stalled, its short to medium term success looks increasingly unlikely. Insecurity and political instability in Kenya are mostly to blame for this, as are more commercially viable alternative pipeline options through Tanzania or Ethiopia. The low oil prices since 2015 also affect LAPSSET's commercial prospects.
Sub-counties, also known as Districts, are the decentralised units through which government of Kenya provides functions and services. At national level, sub-counties take a more administrative function like security, statistical purposes, provision of government services, etc. Even though the sub-counties are divisions of counties, powers to create new national sub-counties lies with the national government. As of 2023, there are 314 sub-counties, compared to 290 constituencies. A deputy county commissioner is appointed by the state to lead each sub-county. The sub-counties are further divided into divisions, locations and sub-locations.
Lamu–Garissa–Isiolo Road, is a road in Kenya, and is part of the Lamu-Garissa-Isiolo-Lokichar Road, which itself is a component of the Lamu Port and Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) Project.
The Isiolo–Moyale Road is a road section of the A2 Road in Kenya, connecting the towns of Isiolo, Archers Post, Marsabit, and Moyale. The road is a component of the Lamu Port and Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) Project. It connects Kenya to Ethiopia, its neighbor to the north.
The Northern Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets are a tropical grasslands, savannas and shrublands ecoregion in eastern Africa. The ecoregion is mostly located in Kenya, extending north into southeastern South Sudan, northeastern Uganda and southwestern Ethiopia and south into Tanzania along the Kenya-Tanzania border.
Merille is a village in Marsabit County in northern Kenya. It is an emerging urban centre along the Isiolo-Moyale Highway, 120 km south of Marsabit town. Merille got its name from samburu word meaning Market place, in early 90s Merille was the central place for barter trade, Somali, Rendille and Sambure meet in the area for exchange of goods.
I decided to build my school, and I picked Isiolo as the location.