Marsabit District was an administrative district in the Eastern Province of Kenya . Its capital town was Marsabit . The district had a population of 121,478.
93-564: The district was located in northern Kenya. It borders the eastern shore of Lake Turkana . The district was created prior to Kenya's independence, carving it out of the then Northern Frontier District . In 2013, based on the original district's boundaries, Marsabit County was effected. Marsabit District had only one local authority, Marsabit County Council. The district is divided into six administrative divisions: The district had three constituencies: Lake Turkana Lake Turkana ( / t ɜːr ˈ k ɑː n ə , - ˈ k æ n -/ )
186-492: A Hungarian and an Austrian , on 6 March 1888. They were the first Europeans to have recorded visiting the lake after a long safari across East Africa. The lake kept its European name during the colonial period of British East Africa . However, the existence of the lake and its shape and location were well known in Europe long before Teleki conceived of his visit. At some unknown time, the lake acquired an alternative name as
279-524: A city-county . The county is entirely urban. It had only one local council, Nairobi City Council which was replaced by Nairobi City County after the new constitution was effected in March 2013. Nairobi County has 17 constituencies. Constituency name may differ from division name, such that Starehe Constituency is equal to Central Division, Lang'ata Constituency to Kibera division, and Kamukunji Constituency to Pumwani Division in terms of boundaries. Nairobi
372-489: A nameplate capacity of 850 kilowatts. As of October 2016 155 turbines had been installed with completion expected in 2017. It will be the largest wind power project in Africa. Full commercial operation achieved in March 2019. 100% Capacity Factor (meaning full 310 MW generated) achieved in March 2021. The Gibe III dam is already under construction by Ethiopia along its Omo River, with general recognition that it will cause
465-437: A 1968 study by Alistair Graham. The lake also has a large population of large water turtles, particularly in the area of Central Island. The Turkana mud turtle is endemic to the lake. Over the dry grasslands ranges a frail population of grazing mammals and predators. The grazers are chiefly Grevy's zebra , Burchell's zebra , the beisa oryx , Grant's gazelle , the topi and the reticulated giraffe . They are hunted by
558-507: A campaign by Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai . Central Park is adjacent to Uhuru Park, and includes a memorial for Jomo Kenyatta , the first president of Kenya, and the Moi Monument, built in 1988 to commemorate the second president's first decade in power. Other notable open spaces include Jeevanjee Gardens , City Park, 7 August Memorial Park , and Nairobi Arboretum. The colonial 1948 Master Plan for Nairobi still acts as
651-705: A day. It also contains the Nairobi National Park . Nairobi joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2010. Nairobi was founded in 1899 by colonial authorities in British East Africa , as a rail depot on the Uganda - Kenya Railway. It was favoured by the authorities as an ideal resting place due to its high elevation , temperate climate , and adequate water supply. The town quickly grew to replace Mombasa as
744-536: A dry riverbed, the Lomekwi 3 site recovered primitive hammers, anvils, and cutting tools. However, the emergence of Acheulean technology no longer assumes that tool use was a distinguishing factor among Homo species as Australopithecus afarensis were also using simple tools prior to the appearance of the genus Homo , over 3.3 million years ago. Australopithecus anamensis fossils discovered by Meave Leakey in 1994 date to around 4 million years ago, setting
837-444: A dual carriageway passenger access road, security, drainage and the building of the main access road to the airport (Airport South Road). The total cost of the project was more than US$ 29 million (US$ 111.8 million in 2013 dollars). On 14 March 1978, construction of the terminal building was completed on the other side of the airport's single runway and opened by President Jomo Kenyatta less than five months before his death. The airport
930-418: A further drop in the lake level.[29] Friends of Lake Turkana, a Kenyan organisation representing indigenous groups in northwestern Kenya whose livelihoods are linked to Lake Turkana, had previously estimated that the dam could reduce the level of Lake Turkana by up to 10 meter affecting up to 300,000 people.[30] This could cause the brackish water to increase in salinity to where it may no longer be drinkable by
1023-649: A high risk for a magnitude 7 or 8 earthquake in the Gibe III dam region. The magnitude of the impact that the dam and possible irrigation projects induced by the dam will have on the water level of Lake Turkana is controversial. A hydrological study conducted for the African Development Bank in November 2010 concluded that the filling of the dam will reduce the lake's water level by two metres, if no irrigation will be undertaken. Irrigation would cause
SECTION 10
#17327983639981116-895: A hub. Nairobi has not been left behind by the FinTech phenomenon that has taken over worldwide. It has produced a couple of tech firms like Craft Silicon, Kangai Technologies, Jambo Pay and Hostraha Limited Archived 16 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine . which have been in the forefront of technology, innovation and cloud based computing services. Their products are widely used and have considerable market share presence within Kenya and outside its borders. Goods manufactured in Nairobi include clothing, textiles, building materials, processed foods , beverages, and cigarettes. Several foreign companies have factories based in and around
1209-536: A major decrease in river flow downstream and a serious reduction of inflow to Kenya's Lake Turkana, which receives 90 per cent of its waters from the river. According to the ARWG [citation needed] report, these changes will destroy the survival means of at least 200,000 pastoralists, flood-dependent agriculturalists and fishers along the Omo River 300,000 pastoralists and fishers around the shores of Lake Turkana – plunging
1302-564: A profound influence on the level of Lake Turkana and adjacent water bodies. The archaeoastronomical site Namoratunga which has been dated circa 300 BC is located near Lake Turkana. Hominin fossils of some of the earliest human ancestors have been found in the Turkana Basin. Lake Turkana is considered the cradle of human life because of the diverse hominid species found living millions of years apart, in this desert landscape. These fossils have facilitated our understanding of
1395-455: A series of US embassy bombings . It is now the site of a memorial park. On 20 October 2011, a memorial statue was unveiled in Nairobi in memory to Tom Mboya , a former Kenyan Independence politician and assassination victim. On 9 November 2012, President Mwai Kibaki opened the KES 31 billion Thika Superhighway. This mega-project of Kenya started in 2009 and ended in 2011. It involved expanding
1488-436: A source of diseases spread by contaminated water. Increasingly, communities on the lake's shores rely on underground springs for drinking water. The same characteristics that make it unsuitable for drinking limit its use in irrigation . The climate is hot and very dry. The rocks of the surrounding area are predominantly volcanic . Central Island is an active volcano, emitting vapour. Outcrops and rocky shores are found on
1581-580: A thing of beauty has been slowly worked out, and much has already been done. But until that plan has borne fruit, Nairobi must remain what she was then, a slatternly creature, unfit to queen it over so lovely a country. After World War II , continuous expansion of the city angered both the indigenous Maasai and Kikuyu . This led to the Mau Mau Uprising in the 1950s, and the Lancaster House Conferences , which initiated
1674-635: A transition to Kenyan independence in 1963. In the spring of 1950, the East African Trades Union Congress (EAUTC) led a nine-day general strike in the city. Nairobi remained the capital of Kenya after independence, and its continued rapid growth put pressure on the city's infrastructure with power cuts and water shortages becoming a common occurrence. On 11 September 1973, the Kenyatta International Conference Centre KICC
1767-544: Is Uhuru Park . The park borders the central business district and the neighbourhood Upper Hill. Uhuru ( Freedom in Swahili ) Park is a centre for outdoor speeches, services, and rallies. The park was to be built over by former President Daniel arap Moi , who wanted the 62-storey headquarters of his party, the Kenya African National Union , situated in the park. However, the park was saved following
1860-538: Is a saline lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley , in northern Kenya , with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia . It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake . By volume it is the world's fourth-largest salt lake after the Caspian Sea , Issyk-Kul , and Lake Van (passing the shrinking South Aral Sea ), and among all lakes it ranks 24th. Lake Turkana
1953-452: Is claimed by the Kenyan government to have a population of 185,777. However, non-governmental sources generally estimate the slum to have a population of 500,000 to 1,000,000, depending on what areas are defined as comprising Kibera. Nairobi has many parks and open spaces throughout the city. Much of the city has dense tree-cover and plenty of green spaces. The most famous park in Nairobi
SECTION 20
#17327983639982046-660: Is commemorated by many English place-names. Most lower-middle and upper middle income neighbourhoods are located in the north-central areas such as Highridge, Parklands, Ngara, Pangani, and areas to the southwest and southeast of the metropolitan area near the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The most notable ones include Avenue Park, Fedha, Pipeline, Donholm, Greenfields, Nyayo, Taasia, Baraka, Nairobi West, Madaraka, Siwaka, South B, South C, Mugoya, Riverbank, Hazina, Buru Buru, Uhuru, Harambee Civil Servants', Akiba, Kimathi, Pioneer, and Koma Rock to
2139-533: Is divided into 17 constituencies and 85 wards , mostly named after residential estates. Kibera Division, for example, includes Kibera (Kenya's largest slum) as well as affluent estates of Karen and Langata . The Nairobi GPO (General Post Office) Postal code is 00100 Nairobi is home to the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), one of Africa's largest stock exchanges . The NSE was officially recognised as an overseas stock exchange by
2232-586: Is now threatened by the construction of the Gilgel Gibe III Dam in Ethiopia due to the damming of the Omo river which supplies most of the lake's water. Although the lake commonly has been—and to some degree still is—used for drinking water, its salinity (slightly brackish ) and very high levels of fluoride (much higher than in fluoridated water ) generally make it unsuitable, and it has also been
2325-406: Is sensitive to climatic and seasonal fluctuations. For purposes of comparison, the historic level of Lake Turkana declined from a high of 20m above today's level in the 1890s to the same level as today in the 1940s and 1950s. Then it increased again gradually by 7 metres to reach a peak around 1980, and subsequently decreased again.[31] The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) summary of
2418-502: Is situated between the cities of Kampala and Mombasa. As Nairobi is adjacent to the eastern edge of the Rift Valley , minor earthquakes and tremors occasionally occur. The Ngong Hills , located to the west of the city, are the most prominent geographical feature of the Nairobi area. Mount Kenya is situated north of Nairobi, and Mount Kilimanjaro is towards the south-east. The Nairobi River and its tributaries traverse through
2511-471: Is situated close to the equator, the differences between the seasons are minimal. The seasons are referred to as the wet season and dry season . The timing of sunrise and sunset varies little throughout the year for the same reason. Nairobi is divided into a series of constituencies with each being represented by members of Parliament in the National Assembly. The initial constituencies before
2604-756: Is the capital and largest city of Kenya . The name is derived from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper had a population of 4,397,073 in the 2019 census. The city is commonly referred to as 'The Green City in the Sun'. Nairobi is home of the Kenyan Parliament Buildings and hosts thousands of Kenyan businesses and key international companies and organisations, including
2697-696: The Jade Sea from its turquoise colour seen approaching from a distance. The colour comes from algae that rise to the surface in calm weather. This is likely also a European name. J. W. Gregory reported in The Geographical Journal of 1894 that it was called "Basso Narok", meaning "Black Lake" in the Samburu language . Likewise, the nearby Ethiopian Lake Chew Bahir is called "Basso Naibor" in Samburu, meaning "White Lake". The Samburu are among
2790-498: The London Stock Exchange in 1953. The exchange is Africa's fourth largest in terms of trading volumes, and fifth largest in terms of Market Capitalization as a percentage of GDP. Nairobi is the regional headquarters of several international companies and organisations. In 2007, General Electric , Young & Rubicam , Google , Coca-Cola , IBM Services , and Cisco Systems relocated their African headquarters to
2883-544: The Maasai , the sedentary Akamba People , as well as the agriculturalist Kikuyu people . The name Nairobi itself comes from the Maasai expression meaning 'cool waters', referring to the cold water stream which flowed through the area. With the arrival of the Uganda Railway , the site was identified by Sir George Whitehouse for a store depot, shunting ground and camping ground for the Indian labourers working on
Marsabit District - Misplaced Pages Continue
2976-677: The Turkana Basin . The highest is 100 m above the surface of the lake (only approximate, as the lake level fluctuates), which occurred about 9500 years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene as part of the African humid period . It is generally theorised that Turkana was part of the upper Nile system at that time, connecting to Lake Baringo at the southern end and the White Nile in the north, and that volcanic land adjustments severed
3069-578: The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). Nairobi is an established hub for business and culture. The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) is one of the largest stock exchanges in Africa and the second-oldest exchange on the continent. It is Africa's fourth-largest stock exchange in terms of trading volume, capable of making 10 million trades
3162-495: The little stint , the wood sandpiper , and the common sandpiper . The African skimmer ( Rhyncops flavirostris ) nests in the banks of Central Island. The white-breasted cormorant ( Phalacrocorax lucidus ) ranges over the lake, as do many other waterbirds. The greater flamingo wades in its shallows. Heuglin's bustard ( Neotis heuglinii ) is found in the east of the lake region. The lake formerly contained Africa's largest population of Nile crocodiles : 14,000, as estimated in
3255-574: The mantle , began separating from the rest of Africa, moving to the northeast. Currently, the graben is 320 km wide in the north of the lake, 170 km in the south. This rift is one of two, and is called the Great or Eastern Rift. There is another to the west, the Western Rift. Lake Turkana is a unique feature of the East African landscape. Besides being a permanent desert lake, it is
3348-424: The 1980s. The City of Nairobi enjoys the status of a full administrative county . Initially, Nairobi was one of the eight provinces in Kenya before 2013. The Nairobi province differed in several ways from other Kenyan regions. Nairobi Province was not divided into "districts" until 2007, when three districts were created. In 2010, along with the new constitution, Nairobi was renamed a county and consolidated into
3441-591: The 2010 constitution which led to the county electoral boundaries being redrawn were: Makadara, Kamukunji, Starehe, Langata , Dagoretti, Westlands , Kasarani, and Embakasi . The new electoral boundaries after this were revised to Embakasi North, Embakasi South, Embakasi Central, Embakasi East, Embakasi West, Makadara, Kamukunji, Starehe, Mathare, Westlands, Dagoretti North, Dagoretti South, Langata, Kibra, Ruaraka, Roysambu and Kasarani. The main administrative divisions of Nairobi are Central, Dagoretti, Embakasi , Kasarani, Kibera , Makadara, Pumwani, and Westlands . Most of
3534-559: The City Hall and Parliament Building. The city square is also located within the perimeter. Most of the skyscrapers in this region are the headquarters of businesses and corporations, such as I&M and the Kenyatta International Conference Centre . The United States Embassy bombing took place in this district, prompting the building of a new embassy building in the suburbs. In 2011, the city
3627-557: The June/July season, when the temperature can drop to 9 °C (48 °F). The sunniest and warmest part of the year is from December to March, when temperatures average in the high-twenties Celsius during the day. The mean maximum temperature for this period is 28 °C (82 °F). There are rainy seasons, but rainfall can be moderate. The cloudiest part of the year is just after the first rainy season, when, until September, conditions are usually overcast with drizzle. As Nairobi
3720-620: The Nairobi County and joins the larger River Athi on the eastern edge of the county. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai fought fiercely to save the indigenous Karura Forest in northern Nairobi which was under threat of being replaced by housing and other infrastructure. Nairobi's western suburbs stretch all the way from the Kenyatta National Hospital in the south to the UN headquarters at Gigiri suburb in
3813-544: The Standard Gauge Railway which connects Nairobi to Mombasa. It was primarily built by a Chinese firm with about 90% of total funding from China and about 10% from the Kenyan government. A second phase is also being built which will link Naivasha to the existing route and also the Uganda border. On 11 August 2020, Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi resigned. On 21 December 2020, recently elected Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Benson Mutura
Marsabit District - Misplaced Pages Continue
3906-603: The Turkana land. The area is primarily clay-based and is more alkaline than seawater. After the independence of Kenya , the president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta , renamed it in 1975 after the Turkana , the predominant tribe there. The Turkana refer to the lake as Anam Ka'alakol , meaning "the sea of many fish". It is from the name Ka'alakol that Kalokol , a town on the western shore of Lake Turkana, east of Lodwar , derives its name. The previous indigenous Turkana name for Lake Turkana
3999-607: The area around Lake Turkana, which is evidence for numerous migrations of diverse people over thousands of years. The current language groups include at least three separate subgroups of the Nilotic ( Nilo-Saharan ) and Cushitic ( Afro-Asiatic ) language families, which have further subdivided into more than 12 languages surrounding the lake today. In the early Holocene (during the Holocene Climatic Optimum ), lake levels were high and fishing and foraging were
4092-403: The beginning date of bipedalism back half a million years. Richard Leakey has led numerous anthropological expeditions in the area which have led to many important discoveries of hominin remains. The two-million-year-old skull 1470 was found in 1972. It was originally thought to be Homo habilis , but the scientific name Homo rudolfensis , derived from the old name of this lake (Rudolf)
4185-460: The capital of Kenya in 1907. After independence in 1963, Nairobi became the capital of the Republic of Kenya . During Kenya's early period, the city became a centre for the coffee , tea and sisal industries. The city lies in the south central part of Kenya, at an elevation of 1,795 metres (5,889 ft). The site of Nairobi was originally a swamp land occupied by a pastoralist people,
4278-400: The centre-east and Kasarani to northeast area among others. The low and lower income estates are located mainly in far eastern Nairobi. These include, Umoja, Kariokor, Dandora , Kariobangi , Kayole , Ruai , Kamulu , Embakasi , and Huruma . Kitengela suburb, though located further southeast, Ongata Rongai and Kiserian further southwest, and Ngong/Embulbul suburbs also known as 'Diaspora' to
4371-520: The cichlids Haplochromis macconneli , H. rudolfianus , H. turkanae and Hemichromis exsul , the barb Enteromius turkanae , the catfish Chrysichthys turkana , the robber tetras Brycinus ferox and B. minutus , the Rudolf lates Lates longispinis , the lampeyes Lacustricola jeanneli and Micropanchax rudolfianus , and the cyprinid Neobola stellae . Non-endemics include species such as Nile tilapia , mango tilapia , bichirs ,
4464-469: The city. The United Nations Office at Nairobi hosts UN Environment and UN-Habitat headquarters. Several of Africa's largest companies are headquartered in Nairobi. Safaricom , the largest company in Kenya by assets and profitability is headquartered in Nairobi, KenGen, which is the largest African stock outside South Africa , is based in the city. Kenya Airways , Africa's fourth largest airline, uses Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as
4557-510: The city. These include Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company , General Motors , Toyota , and The Coca-Cola Company . Nairobi has a large tourist industry , being both a tourist destination and a transport hub. Nairobi has grown around its central business district . This takes a pentagonal shape, around the Uhuru Highway, Haile Selassie Avenue, Moi Avenue, and University Way. It features many of Nairobi's important buildings, including
4650-541: The city: Maybe one day Nairobi will be laid out with tarred roads, with avenues of flowering trees, flanked by noble buildings; with open spaces and stately squares; a cathedral worthy of faith and country; museums and of art; theatres and public offices. And it is fair to say that the Government and the Municipality have already bravely tackled the problem and that a town-plan ambitious enough to turn Nairobi into
4743-632: The connection. Such a hypothesis explains the Nile species in the lake, such as the crocodiles and the Nile perch. High water levels also occurred approximately 9000, 6000 and 5000 years ago, each of which were followed by drops in lake level of more than 40m in less than 200 years. It is thought that changes in the position of the Congo Air Boundary affected the ability of moisture from the Atlantic Ocean to reach eastern Africa, which had
SECTION 50
#17327983639984836-483: The dominant tribes in the lake Turkana region when the explorers came." What the native form of this phrase was, what it might mean, and in which language is not clear. The major biomes are the lake itself, which is an aquatic biome, and the surrounding region, which is classified as desert and xeric shrubland . The Chalbi Desert is east of the lake. During moister times, a dry grassland appears, featuring Aristida adcensionis and A. mutabilis . During drier times,
4929-436: The dynamic human evolution process and implies that they descended from more than one common ancestor, diverging into multiple lineages. The changing forest environment forced the early humans to adapt to a more open grassland that increased their exposure to threatening predators. Volcanic ash and drier climates were ideal for preserving these human fossils but it also caused the lake to shrink or disappear at times. In
5022-521: The east and south shores of the lake, while dunes, spits and flats are on the west and north, at a lower elevation. On-shore and off-shore winds can be extremely strong, as the lake warms and cools more slowly than the land. Sudden, violent storms are frequent. Three rivers (the Omo , Turkwel and Kerio ) flow into the lake, but lacking outflow , its only water loss is by evaporation. Lake volume and dimensions are variable. For example, its level fell by 10 m (33 ft) between 1975 and 1993. Despite
5115-562: The eastern shore at the Nataruk Site, this region provides considerable insight to the way these early humans thrived and survived the inconsistent climate along the lake shore and beyond. Homo erectus is the closest of Homo sapiens ' ancestors and contended to be the first hominin to cross the Levantine corridor out of Africa, into Europe and Asia 1.8 million years ago. Many language groups are represented in
5208-538: The elephantfish Mormyrus kannume , African arowana , African knifefish , Distichodus niloticus , the Nile perch and numerous others. During the early Holocene , the water level of the lake was higher, and it overflowed into the Nile River, allowing fish and crocodiles access. Consequently, the non-endemic fishes in the lake are mainly riverine species of Nilotic origin. Some of the non-endemics do not breed in
5301-624: The far west are considered part of the Greater Nairobi Metropolitan area. More than 90% of Nairobi residents work within the Nairobi Metropolitan area, in the formal and informal sectors. Many Somali immigrants have also settled in Eastleigh , nicknamed "Little Mogadishu ". Here is the list of all postal codes for Nairobi Archived 19 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine . The Kibera slum in Nairobi
5394-577: The firm that builds the dam this would reduce the water level in the lake by "less than 50 cm per year for three years" and that salinity "will not change in any way".[26] According to the International Lake Environment Committee, 90% of Lake Turkana's water is delivered by the Omo River on which the Dam would be built.[31] With no outlet, Lake Turkana loses 2.3 meters of water every year to evaporation, and its level
5487-399: The four-lane carriageway to eight lanes, building underpasses, providing interchanges at roundabouts, erecting flyovers and building underpasses to ease congestion. The 50.4-kilometre road was built in three phases: Uhuru Highway to Muthaiga Roundabout; Muthaiga Roundabout to Kenyatta University and; Kenyatta University to Thika Town . On 31 May 2017, President Uhuru Kenyatta inaugurated
5580-564: The governing mechanism when it comes to making decisions related to urban planning. The Master Plan at the time, which was designed for 250,000 people, allocated 28% of Nairobi's land to public space, but because of rapid population growth, much of the vitality of public spaces within the city are increasingly threatened. City Park, the only natural park in Nairobi, for example, was originally 60 ha (150 acres), but has since lost approximately 20 ha (50 acres) of land to private development through squatting and illegal alienation which began in
5673-695: The grass disappears. The shrublands contain dwarf shrubs, such as Duosperma eremophilum and Indigofera spinosa . Near the lake are doum palms . Both phytoplankton and zooplankton are found in the lake. Of the former, cyanobacteria are represented by Microcystis aeruginosa and microalgae by Botryococcus braunii . Also present are Anabaenopsis arnoldii , Planctonema lauterbornii , Oocystis gigas , Sphaerocystis schroeteri , and some others. The zooplankton includes copepods , cladocerans and protozoans . Compared to other large African lakes, Turkana has relatively few fish species. The lake holds about 50 fish species, including 12 endemics :
SECTION 60
#17327983639985766-470: The headquarters of the provincial administration for the Ukamba province. On the arrival of the railway, Whitehouse remarked that "Nairobi itself will in the course of the next two years become a large and flourishing place and already there are many applications for sites for hotels, shops and houses." The town's early years were however beset with problems of malaria leading to at least one attempt to have
5859-441: The indigenous groups around the lake. Currently, the salinity of the water is about 2332 mg/L, and it is estimated that a 10-meter decrease in the water level of Lake Turkana could cause the salinity to rise to 3397 mg/L.[20] Raising salinity could also drastically reduce the number of fish in the lake, which the people around Lake Turkana depend on for sustenance and their livelihoods. According to critics, this "will condemn
5952-427: The lack of outflow, in ecology it is often regarded as a part of—or at least associated with—the Nile basin because of its prehistoric connection to this system and the similarities in their aquatic faunas . Due to temperature (its surface water typically is 27–31 °C [81–88 °F] and the mean air temperature of the region generally is similar or slightly higher), aridity and geographic inaccessibility,
6045-418: The lake retains its wild character. Nile crocodiles are found in great abundance on the flats. The rocky shores are home to scorpions and carpet vipers . The lake is rich in fish and fishing is very important to the local economy, but this is threatened by falling water levels and overfishing . Lake Turkana National Parks are now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Sibiloi National Park lies on
6138-418: The lake to a not-so-slow death."[9] According to dam proponents, the impact on Lake Turkana will be limited to the temporary reduction in flows during the filling of the reservoir. Various sources state that the filling could take between one and three wet seasons.[9][26] The total storage volume of the reservoir of Gibe III dam will be between 11.75 and 14 billion cubic meter, depending on sources. According to
6231-459: The lake's eastern shore, while Central Island National Park and South Island National Park lie in the lake. Both are known for their Nile crocodiles. An abundance of hominid fossils have been discovered in the area surrounding Lake Turkana. The area still sees few visitors, being two days' drive from Nairobi . The lake is also an imaginary boundary of the Rendille and Borana and Oromo to
6324-476: The lake, but migrate up the Omo River and other affluents to breed. The lake is heavily fished. The Lake Turkana region is home to hundreds of species of birds native to Kenya . The East African Rift System also serves as a flyway for migrating birds, bringing in hundreds more. The birds are essentially supported by plankton masses in the lake, which also feed the fish. Some birds more common to Turkana are
6417-546: The lion and the cheetah . Elephants and the black rhinoceroses are no longer seen, although Teleki reported seeing (and shooting) many. Closer to the dust is the cushioned gerbil ( Gerbillus pulvinatus ). Lake Turkana is an East African Rift feature. A rift is a weak place in the Earth's crust due to the separation of two tectonic plates , often accompanied by a graben , or trough, in which lake water can collect. The rift began when East Africa, impelled by currents in
6510-838: The north, a distance of about 20 kilometres (12 mi). The city is centred on the City Square, which is located in the Central Business District. The Kenyan Parliament buildings, the Holy Family Cathedral , Nairobi City Hall, Nairobi Law Courts, and the Kenyatta Convention Centre all surround the square. Under the Köppen climate classification , Nairobi has a subtropical highland climate (Cwb). At 1,795 metres (5,889 ft) above sea level, evenings may be cool, especially in
6603-417: The only lake that retains the waters originating from two separate catchment areas of the Nile . The Lake Turkana drainage basin draws its waters mainly from Kenya Highlands and Ethiopian Highlands . The basement rocks of the region have been dated by two analytical determinations to 522 and 510 million years ago (mya). No rift was in the offing at that time. A rift is signalled by volcanic activity through
6696-856: The outcrops forming the rocky mountains and badlands around the lake. In the Omo portion of the basin, of the Mursi Basalts, the Mursi Formation is on the west side of the Omo, the Nkalabong on the Omo, and the Usno and Shungura east of the Omo. Probably the best known of the formations are the Koobi Fora on the east side of Turkana and the Nachukui on the west. Short-term fluctuations in lake level combined with periodic volcanic ash spewings over
6789-478: The period when domesticated animals were first introduced to the region about 5000 years ago, while later, the dead were buried in small grave cairns. People who live in the region today commonly practice mixed subsistence, switching between hunting, fishing and animal herding based on what is feasible in a given year. However, the construction of infrastructure like Christian missionary stations, energy extraction (wind, oil) and NGO aid distribution points have made
6882-457: The plenary hall, the tower consisted of a cylinder composed of several cuboids, and the amphitheater and helipad both resembled cones. The tower was built around a concrete core and it had no walls but glass windows, which allowed for maximum natural lighting. It had the largest halls in eastern and central Africa. A year prior in 1972, the World Bank approved funds for further expansion of
6975-540: The pre-colonial era, the people of modern Kenya mostly lived in villages amongst their tribes and cultural groups, where they had rulers within their communities rather than one singular government or leader. In 1898, Arthur Church was first and foremost commissioned to design the first town layout for the railway depot. It constituted two streets – Victoria Street and Station Street , ten avenues, staff quarters and an Indian commercial area. The railway arrived at Nairobi on 30 May 1899, and soon Nairobi replaced Machakos as
7068-433: The primary subsistence economies. This was mostly supplanted by animal-based agriculture by 5000 years ago, when the lake level was in a period of rapid fluctuation. During the later Holocene , human responses to climatic changes included intensive fishing when lake level was high and a shift to cattle herding when the level dropped. Megalithic graves are found widely distributed on the lake shores and appear to correspond to
7161-462: The project did not assess the impact of the dam on the water level and water quality of Lake Turkana.[32] The director of Kenya's Water Services Regulatory Board, John Nyaoro, argued that the dam would have no negative impact on Lake Turkana.[33] A Kenya Government report in 2021 estimated that the surface area of Lake Turkana had increased by 10% between 2010 and 2020. Nairobi Nairobi ( / n aɪ ˈ r oʊ b i / ny- ROH -bee )
7254-523: The railway. Whitehouse, chief engineer of the railway, favoured the site as an ideal resting place due to its high elevation, temperate climate, adequate water supply and being situated before the steep ascent of the Limuru escarpments . His choice was however criticised by officials within the Protectorate government who felt the site was too flat, poorly drained and relatively infertile. During
7347-494: The region have resulted in a fortuitous layering of the ground cover over the basal rocks. These horizons can be dated more precisely by chemical analysis of the tuff . As this region is believed to have been an evolutionary nest of hominins , the dates are important for generating a diachronic array of fossils, both hominoid and nonhominoid—that is, both ape (includes hominins) and non-ape . Many thousands have been excavated. Terraces representing ancient shores are visible in
7440-416: The region more connected to and dependent on outside resources for subsistence. Traditional modes of subsistence like pastoralism and fishing are now supplemented by the cash-based economy. The Lake Turkana Wind Power consortium (LTWP) plans to provide 310 MW of power to Kenya's national electricity grid by tapping the unique wind conditions around the lake. The plan calls for 365 wind turbines , each with
7533-426: The region's ethnic groups into cross-border violent conflict reaching well into South Sudan, as starvation confronts all of them. The report offers a devastating look at a deeply flawed development process fuelled by the special interests of global finance and African governments. In the process, it identifies major overlooked or otherwise minimised risks, not the least of which is a U.S. Geological Survey estimation of
7626-460: The shore of an ancient and larger Lake Turkana, and where numerous human skeletons showing major traumatic injuries to the head, neck, ribs, knees and hands are argued to be evidence of inter-group conflict between nomadic hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago. With over 230 individuals found at the Koobi Fora site along the western shore, and scattered Homo sapiens skeletons with bone marks along
7719-413: The then Nairobi Airport (now Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ), including a new international and domestic passenger terminal building, the airport's first dedicated cargo and freight terminal, new taxiways, associated aprons, internal roads, car parks, police and fire stations, a State Pavilion, airfield and roadway lighting, fire hydrant system, water, electrical, telecommunications and sewage systems,
7812-508: The town moved. In the early 1900s, Bazaar Street (now Biashara Street) was completely rebuilt after an outbreak of plague and the burning of the original town. Between 1902 and 1910, the town's population rose from 5,000 to 16,000 and grew around administration and tourism, initially in the form of big game hunting . In 1907, Nairobi replaced Mombasa as the capital of the East Africa Protectorate. In 1919, Nairobi
7905-502: The upmarket suburbs are situated to the west and north-central of Nairobi, where most European settlers resided during the colonial times AKA 'Ubabini'. These include Karen , Langata , Lavington , Gigiri , Muthaiga , Brookside, Spring Valley, Loresho, Kilimani , Kileleshwa, Hurlingham, Runda , Kitisuru , Nyari, Kyuna, Lower Kabete , Westlands , and Highridge , although Kangemi, Kawangware, and Dagoretti are lower income areas close to these affluent suburbs. The city's colonial past
7998-714: The weakened crust. The oldest volcanic activity of the region occurred in the Nabwal Hills northeast of Turkana and is dated to 34.8 mya in the late Eocene . The visible tectonic features of the region result from extensive extrusions of basalt over the Turkana-Omo basin in the window 4.18–3.99 mya. These are called the Gombe Group Basalts. They are subdivided into the Mursi Basalts and the Gombi Basalts. The two latter basalts are identified as
8091-456: Was Anam a Cheper . Natives who live around Lake Turkana include the Turkana , Rendille , Gabbra , Daasanach , Hamar Koke, Karo, Nyagatom, Mursi , Surma , and Molo peoples. For the location of many of these peoples, refer to the dialect map in the article. The lake was originally named Lake Rudolf (in honour of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria ) by Count Sámuel Teleki de Szék and his second-in-command Lieutenant Ludwig Ritter Von Höhnel ,
8184-525: Was declared to be a municipality. In 1921, Nairobi had 24,000 residents, of which 12,000 were native Africans. The next decade saw growth in native African communities in Nairobi, and they began to constitute a majority for the first time. This growth caused planning issues, described by Thorntorn White Archived 22 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine and his planning team as the "Nairobi Problem". In February 1926, colonial officer Eric Dutton passed through Nairobi on his way to Mount Kenya , and said of
8277-763: Was developed to reduce traffic congestion along Mombasa Road. Additionally, the Green Park Bus Terminal , part of efforts to improve public transport, began operations in 2021. In line with the Kenyan government's Affordable Housing Program , various housing developments are underway to accommodate the city's growing population. The city is situated at 1°09′S 36°39′E / 1.150°S 36.650°E / -1.150; 36.650 ( Nairobi, Kenya ) and 1°27′S 37°06′E / 1.450°S 37.100°E / -1.450; 37.100 ( Nairobi, Kenya ) and occupies 696 square kilometres (270 sq mi). Nairobi
8370-709: Was open to the public. The 28-storey building at the time was designed by the Norwegian architect Karl Henrik Nøstvik and Kenyan David Mutiso. It is the only building within the city with a helipad that is open to the public. Of the buildings built in the Seventies, the KICC was the most eco-friendly and most environmentally conscious structure; its main frame was constructed with locally available materials gravel, sand, cement and wood, and it had wide open spaces which allowed for natural aeration and natural lighting. Cuboids made up
8463-470: Was proposed in 1986 by V. P. Alexeev. In 1984, the Turkana Boy , a nearly complete skeleton of a Homo ergaster juvenile, was discovered by Kamoya Kimeu . More recently, Meave Leakey discovered a 3.5 million-year-old skull there, designated Kenyanthropus platyops ("the flat-faced man of Kenya"). Marta Mirazón Lahr discovered early evidence of human warfare at the site of Nataruk , located near
8556-536: Was renamed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in memory of its first president. The Giraffe Centre , an animal sanctuary on the southwestern outskirts of Nairobi, was opened in 1983. To this day, it breeds the endangered species of Rothschild's giraffe . The United States Embassy, then located in downtown Nairobi, was bombed in August 1998 by Al-Qaeda and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad , as one of
8649-403: Was sworn in as acting Nairobi Governor four days after the previous Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko was impeached and removed from office. At the time of Mutura's swearing in as acting Governor, which he will hold for at least 60 days, Nairobi did not have a Deputy Governor as well. Nairobi has seen several major infrastructure projects in recent years. The Nairobi Expressway , completed in 2022,
#997002