Rift Valley
Turkana
Kenya's north-western frontier, Turkana is the land of the Turkana people, the jade waters of Lake Turkana, the Koobi Fora fossil beds that reshaped human origins, and recently discovered oil.
What you'll hear
The people
Turkana (Ng'iturkana)
The Turkana are a Nilotic ethnic group who make up the overwhelming majority of the county's population and have inhabited the Lake Turkana basin for centuries. They possess a proud pastoralist identity centered around herds of cattle, camels, goats, and sheep adapted to arid environments. Turkana culture is renowned for its striking visual aesthetics, including colorful layered beaded necklaces worn by women and clay-plastered hairstyles worn by men.
El Molo
The El Molo are one of Kenya's smallest ethnic groups, historically residing along the southeastern shores and islands of Lake Turkana near Loiyangalani. Traditionally a fisherfolk community, they relied on Lake Turkana for survival, hunting Nile perch and tilapia using doum-palm rafts and hand-crafted harpoons. While many have culturally interconnected with neighboring Samburu and Turkana groups, they retain a distinct identity rooted in sacred lake rituals and island heritage.
Food & Cuisine
Akirim
Akirim is a preserved meat staple made from lean strips of beef, goat, or camel meat sun-dried to last through long seasonal migrations. Pastoralists slice freshly slaughtered meat into long, thin ribbons and suspend them over acacia branches or wooden drying frames. The intense heat of Turkana quickly desiccates the meat, locking in nutrients and preventing bacterial growth without chemical additives. During travel across dry seasonal grazing lands, herders carry bundles of akirim as a light, non-perishable protein source. It is typically prepared by boiling in fat-laden broths or crushed into a fine meat powder mixed with warm camel milk.
Edung
Edung refers to a vital traditional wild fruit paste made from the sweet-sour yellow fruits of the Balanites aegyptiaca tree, commonly known as the desert date. Pastoralist women and children gather these hardy fruits from dry scrublands during severe dry seasons when livestock milk yields drop significantly. The thick outer pulp is boiled repeatedly with water to remove natural bitterness and soften its tough, fibrous texture. Once softened, it is pounded into a nutrient-dense fruit paste or mixed directly into warm animal milk and sorghum gruel. This staple food serves as a critical nutritional lifeline during periods of prolonged drought in the arid terrain of Turkana.
Esanyen
Esanyen is a traditional salt-cured and sun-dried fish dish prepared primarily along the shores of Lake Turkana in places like Kalokol and Ferguson's Gulf. Freshly caught Tilapia or Nile Perch are split wide open, thoroughly cleaned, and rubbed with coarse local lake salt. The fish are then staked out on raised wooden drying racks or smooth black basalt rocks exposed to the intense desert sun. After several days of drying, the preserved fish can be stored for months without spoiling in the heat. To prepare it for eating, the dried fish is rehydrated in water, flaked, and simmered into a rich tomato and onion broth served alongside maize or sorghum ugali.
Akiet
Akiet is a rich sorghum porridge that forms the foundational plant-based meal for many families living in southern and central Turkana. Red and white sorghum varieties are grown along the banks of seasonal rivers like the Turkwel and Kerio after flash floods subside. Women grind the dried grains using flat granite stones into a coarse flour that retains its fibrous husk. The flour is briskly stirred into boiling water or fresh goat milk until it thickens into a hearty, fragrant gruel. Akiet is routinely served during early mornings to give herders long-lasting energy or offered as a soothing meal to nursing mothers.
Music & Sound
Edonga Dance
Edonga is the most recognizable traditional dance of the Turkana people, celebrated for its high, vertical leaping and energetic vocal chants. Performed exclusively without instrumental accompaniment, the rhythm is generated entirely through foot-stamping, chest-slapping, and the heavy jingling of metal leg bells. Young men form an energetic semicircle, jumping straight up into the air to demonstrate physical vitality, stamina, and athletic prowess. Women stand opposite them, singing melodious call-and-response refrain lines while swaying their heavy beaded neck collars. Edonga is performed during major communal celebrations, peace reconciliations between clans, and post-harvest gatherings.
Ekiltile
Ekiltile is a traditional praise-singing style performed primarily by women to honor successful herders, community leaders, and brave warriors. The vocal technique features high-pitched soloist calls punctuated by rhythmic, syncopated group clapping and low vocal hums. Singers weave spontaneous lyrics detailing the specific cattle markings, lineages, and heroic deeds of the individuals being honored. As the tempo increases, women move in a compact formation, their layered glass beaded necklaces rustling in unison to provide a dry percussion sound. It remains a vital medium for preserving oral histories and reinforcing social bonds across pastoral homesteads.
Naporos Ritual Chants
Naporos refers to sacred vocal chants and horn calls performed by elders during solemn communal rituals and rainmaking assemblies. The musical performance relies on deep, resonant guttural chanting accompanied by the blowing of the Arupepe, an instrument carved from a Kudu or Oryx horn. The horn emits a long, piercing blast that carries for miles across the open plains to summon community members to ritual grounds. Elders invoke the blessings of Akuj, the supreme creator, praying for rain, livestock fertility, and protection against disease. The sacred nature of Naporos sets it apart from casual entertainment, reserving it strictly for spiritual and governance gatherings.
Traditions & Customs
Asapan (Age-Set Initiation)
Asapan is the sacred rite of passage where young Turkana men transition from uninitiated boys into recognized adult warriors. The ceremony takes place at specialized initiation grounds, presided over by senior age-set elders. Initiates spear a ceremonial bull, and elders inspect its entrails to read omens regarding the future prosperity of the age-set. The initiates' heads are shaved and plastered with colored clay, and they receive traditional head wraps, wrist knives, and initiation names. Asapan confers full civic rights, allowing men to marry, speak at public assemblies, and own livestock.
Akuj Worship and Rainmaking
The Turkana maintain a deep reverence for Akuj, the supreme, omnipotent creator God believed to control rainfall and livestock fertility. During periods of severe drought, elders convene emergency rainmaking rituals under sacred trees known as Ekwar. A dark-colored goat or ox is ritually slaughtered as an offering to appease Akuj and seek divine intervention for rain. Elders smear roasted animal fat onto their bodies while chanting traditional prayers facing prominent sacred mountains like Mt. Mogila or Mt. Kakuma. The ritual concludes with the distribution of roasted meat to all attendees, reinforcing social cohesion and spiritual unity.
Ekwar System (Customary Tree Tenure)
The Ekwar is a sophisticated traditional natural resource management system regulating access to trees and vegetation along dry riverbeds. Specific stretches of riverine forest along the Turkwel and Kerio rivers are held under customary stewardship by individual families or clan lineages. Owners of an Ekwar hold exclusive rights to harvest wild fruits, gather fodder, and fell trees like the Acacia tortilis for building shelters. Neighbors and nomadic herders must seek explicit permission before utilizing resources within another family's designated Ekwar. This traditional conservation practice prevents overgrazing and preserves vital shade trees in an extremely arid ecosystem.
Heritage Sites
Namoratung'a (Kalokol Standing Stones)
Namoratung'a is an extraordinary megalithic site located near Kalokol on the western shores of Lake Turkana, dating back to around 300 BC. The site features nineteen large basalt pillars arranged in a distinct geometric pattern, surrounded by an ancient burial cairn complex. Archaeoastronomers have shown that the stone pillars align precisely with specific star constellations, including Orion and the Pleiades. Ancient pastoralist communities used these alignments to construct a sophisticated astronomical calendar to track seasons and rainfall patterns. Visitors to the site encounter an eerie, tranquil landscape of dark volcanic pillars rising starkly against the desert floor.
Nariokotome (Turkana Boy Site)
Nariokotome is a world-renowned paleoanthropological site situated near the Nariokotome River in northern Turkana County. In 1984, fossil hunter Kamoya Kimeu, working alongside Richard Leakey, discovered Turkana Boy (Homo erectus), a nearly complete 1.5-million-year-old hominin skeleton. The discovery proved crucial to understanding human evolution, offering unprecedented insights into early human body proportions, growth patterns, and bipedal locomotion. Today, a stone monument and interpretive display mark the precise location where the famous skeleton was uncovered. Travelers to Nariokotome can explore the monument, walk through the dry riverbed, and learn about the groundbreaking scientific discoveries made in the region.
Lake Turkana (The Jade Sea)
Lake Turkana is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the largest alkaline lake on Earth, famous for its striking turquoise waters. Stretching over 250 kilometers from north to south, the lake is bordered by volcanic landscapes, sandy dunes, and dramatic basalt cliffs. It is home to Central Island National Park, an active volcanic island featuring three crater lakes populated by the world's largest Nile crocodile breeding colony. The lake sustains diverse birdlife, including thousands of flamingos, and supports local fishing communities along its shores. Visitors experience breathtaking desert sunsets, boat excursions to volcanic islands, and the dramatic contrast between blue water and arid terrain.
Lothagam Prehistoric Site
Lothagam is an ancient paleontological and archaeological site located southwest of Lake Turkana near the Kerio River delta. The site contains rich fossil deposits spanning millions of years, yielding remains of early hominins, extinct fauna, and ancient aquatic life. Excavations at Lothagam uncovered early fishing settlements dating back over 8,000 years, complete with bone harpoons and fishhooks. It also features prehistoric communal cemetery mounds marked by large stone slabs, shedding light on early pastoral Neolithic cultures. Explorers visiting Lothagam can observe exposed fossil-bearing rock strata carving through colorful badland formations.
History
Pre-colonial
Migration and Formation of the Turkana Nation
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the ancestors of the Turkana migrated from the Cradleland of the Ateker people in present-day northeastern Uganda around Mount Moroto. According to oral traditions, a segment of the Karamojong group split away while searching for a lost bull, moving east into the Tarach River valley. They adapted remarkably to the tough, arid ecosystem of the Great Rift Valley, expanding their territory by absorbing local groups like the Oropom. The Turkana developed a specialized nomadic pastoral lifestyle, managing herds of zebu cattle, fat-tailed sheep, goats, and heat-resistant camels. By the late 19th century, they had established military dominance over the western basin of Lake Turkana, defending their territory through a formidable warrior organization.
Colonial
Turkana Armed Resistance and Military Rule
The British colonial administration encountered fierce, prolonged armed resistance when trying to establish control over Turkana territory starting in the late 1890s. Renowned Turkana military strategists and spiritual leaders, such as Chief Ebei and Lowualel, led mobile guerrilla forces against colonial military expeditions. The British designated the region as part of the Northern Frontier District (NFD) and enforced harsh military administration under the Turkana Disturbance Ordinance. Violent clashes persisted for decades, culminating in joint British and Ethiopian military campaigns to disarm the community during the 1910s and 1920s. The Turkana were among the last societies in modern Kenya to be forcibly pacified, remaining under strict military movement restrictions until Kenya's independence.
Post-independence
Devolution and the Discovery of Oil
Following Kenya's independence in 1963, Turkana County suffered decades of state neglect, underinvestment, and physical isolation due to poor road infrastructure. The region faced severe droughts during the late 20th century, forcing many pastoralists to settle near aid centers and turn to lake fishing around Kalokol. A historic turning point occurred in 2012 when Tullow Oil discovered commercially viable crude oil deposits in the South Lokichar Basin near Ngamia-1. The implementation of devolution under the 2010 Kenyan Constitution provided direct public budget allocation to the newly created Turkana County Government in 2013. These economic developments transformed Lodwar from a sleepy administrative post into a booming regional urban center with modern airport links and expanding infrastructure.