Turkana District

Last updated
Turkana District
Former district
Kenya turkana-district.svg
District location in Kenya
Coordinates: 03°07′31″N35°35′23″E / 3.12528°N 35.58972°E / 3.12528; 35.58972
CountryFlag of Kenya.svg Kenya
Capital Lodwar
Elevation
1,138 m (3,734 ft)
Time zone UTC+3 (EAT)

The Turkana District was an administrative district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It was the northwesternmost district in the country and is bordered by 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 districts in Kenya include West Pokot, Baringo, and Samburu, while Marsabit District lies on the opposite (eastern) shore of Lake Turkana.

Contents

The territory of Turkana District was separated from the Uganda Protectorate in two stages—the southern section in 1902 and the northern region in 1926. In 2013, Turkana County was formally established with boundaries corresponding to those of the former district.

History

Four Stone Age cultural sites are located along tributaries on the west side of Lake Turkana in West Turkana–at Lokalalei, Kokiselei, and Nadung. These sites attracted archaeological interest beginning in 1988. [1] [2] [3]

The earliest Late Stone Age industries date from 12,000 BP. [4]

Colonial influence, in the form of pacification within the district, began in 1900 and ended in 1918. [5]

In 1926, the entire Turkana people were subjugated by the British military, which subsequently restricted their movements to a designated area of Kenya, thereby forcing them to settle in what is now known as Turkana District. [6] [7]

In 1958, the district experienced an influx of individuals identified as members of the Turkana community, who had been expelled from Isiolo Town and forcibly relocated by the British colonial administration. [8]

The district remained almost completely isolated from external influences until 1976, when roadblocks restricting entry were removed. [9]

In 2000, communities in the northern part of the district were reported to be endangered by marauding Ethiopians and were consequently forced to settle in southerly locations. [10]

Language

The region is known in Kenyan as Aturksven. [11]

Some place names in the area are derived from the languages of the Pokot and Samburu peoples, reflecting the historical presence of these communities before their displacement by the Turkana. [12]

Geography

The district was located within the boundaries of the former Rift Valley Province. [13] According to data from 1991, the majority of the population at that time earned their livelihood through farming. [14] Covering an area of nearly 77,000 km2, Turkana is the largest district in Kenya. Its capital is Lodwar, and the district had a population of 450,860 according to the 1999 census. [15]

Irrigation networks in Kekarongole and Katilu were established around or after 1975. [16] According to 1982 data, annual rainfall was recorded as less than ten inches, ranging between 115 mm and 650 mm. [17] [18] Over the 50-year period beginning in 1938, thirteen drought periods were recorded. [19]

Economics

On 26 March 2012, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki announced that oil had been discovered in Turkana District following exploratory drilling by the Anglo-Irish firm Tullow Oil. He stated,

It is... the beginning of a long journey to make our country an oil producer, which typically takes in excess of three years. We shall be giving the nation more information as the oil exploration process continues. [20]

Gold panning was reported in 2005 at Lochoremoit, Namoruputh, and Ng,akoriyiek. [21]

According to Barrett (2001), as cited in Watson, a person's wealth is traditionally measured in cattle. [22]

Figures from 1998 indicate an average herd size of between 15 and 20. [23]

District subdivisions

Local authorities (councils)
AuthorityTypePopulation*Urban pop.*
Lodwar Municipality35,89716,981
TurkanaCounty414,96326,563
Total–450,86043,544
* 1999 census. Source: [24]
Administrative divisions
DivisionPopulation*Population
density		Headquarters
Central35,91945Lodwar
Kaaling24,0533
Kainuk11,7997
Kakuma97,11426 Kakuma
Kalokol28,7355 Kalokol
Katilu12,54810
Kerio15,4096
Kibish6,056–
Lapur12,7806
Lokichar21,7915 Lokichar
Lokichogio36,1875 Lokichogio
Lokitaung22,58612 Lokitaung
Loima33,97910
Lokori17,9153
Lomelo6,0881Kapedo
Oropol18,0203Oropol
Turkwel49,8819
Total450,8607 (average)–
* 1999 census. Sources: [25]

The district had three constituencies:

References

  1. ↑ Adams, Brian; Blades, Brooke (2009-05-06). Lithic Materials and Paleolithic Societies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-1-4443-1196-9.
  2. ↑ Ewen, Charles R. (2003). Artifacts. Rowman Altamira. ISBN   978-0-7591-0022-0.
  3. ↑ (secondary) D Waugh – Geography: An Integrated Approach ISBN 017444706X Retrieved 1994
  4. ↑ C Ehret, M Posnansky – The Archaeological and Linguistic Reconstruction of African History University of California Press, 1982 Retrieved 2012-07-08 ISBN 0520045939
  5. ↑ Grenham, Thomas G. (2005). The Unknown God: Religious and Theological Interculturation. Peter Lang. ISBN   978-3-03910-261-7.
  6. ↑ Hodder, Ian (1987-08-06). The Archaeology of Contextual Meanings. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-32924-8.
  7. ↑ Merriam-Webster dictionary online
  8. ↑ Broch-Due, Vigdis; Schroeder, Richard A. (2000). Producing Nature and Poverty in Africa. Nordic Africa Institute. ISBN   978-91-7106-452-3.
  9. ↑ Duncan, Susan D.; Cassell, Justine; Levy, Elena Terry (2007). Gesture and the Dynamic Dimension of Language: Essays in Honor of David McNeill. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN   978-90-272-2841-3.
  10. ↑ Traditional occupations of indigenous and tribal peoples: Emerging trends. International Labour Organization. 2000. ISBN   978-92-2-112258-6.
  11. ↑ Gulliver, P. H. (1998). The Family Herds: A Study of Two Pastoral Tribes in East Africa, the Jie and Turkana. Routledge. ISBN   978-0-415-17646-0.
  12. ↑ Dorian, Nancy C. (1992-09-03). Investigating Obsolescence: Studies in Language Contraction and Death. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-43757-8.
  13. ↑ Middleton, Neil; O'Keefe, Phil (1998). Disaster and Development: The Politics of Humanitarian Aid. Pluto Press. ISBN   978-0-7453-1224-8.
  14. ↑ W Critchley – Looking After Our Land: Soil and Water Conservation in Dryland Africa p.45- Oxfam, 1991 Retrieved 2012-07-08 ISBN 0855981709
  15. ↑ "Kenya Districts". statoids.com. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
  16. ↑ Calas, Bernard; Martinon, C. A. Mumma (2010). Shared Waters, Shared Opportunities: Hydropolitics in East Africa. French Institute for Research in Africa. ISBN   978-9987-08-092-2.
  17. ↑ Ehret, Christopher; Posnansky, Merrick (1982-01-01). The Archaeological and Linguistic Reconstruction of African History. University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-04593-4.
  18. ↑ W Critchley
  19. ↑ Boinski, Sue; Garber, Paul A. (2000-05-15). On the Move: How and Why Animals Travel in Groups. University of Chicago Press. ISBN   978-0-226-06339-3.
  20. ↑ "Kenya oil discovery after Tullow Oil drilling". BBC. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  21. ↑ Watson, David J. (2008-01-01). Review of VSF-Belgium's Turkana Emergency Livestock Off-take Intervention, 2005. ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD). ISBN   978-92-9146-209-4.
  22. ↑ Community farmer field school animal health facilitators: hybridizing private animal health care and capacity building in remote pastoralist areas. ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD). ISBN   978-92-9146-227-8.
  23. ↑ Bonnet, Pascal (1998). Dromadaires et chameaux, animaux laitiers: actes du colloque, 24-26 octobre, Nouakchott, Mauritanie. Editions Quae. ISBN   978-2-87614-307-4.
  24. ↑ http://treasury.go.ke/cbs.go.ke/pdf/authority.pdf%5B%5D
  25. ↑ "Annex 1: Status of Coverage of Communications Services" (PDF). www.cck.go.ke. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
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