Discovery of water changing the hopeless face of Turkana

Turkana County is synonymous with drought, poverty and high levels of unemployment. It is a county that has been described as the country’s poorest.

However, the script of this ‘neglected’ county is fast being re-written following the discovery of massive underground water deposits.

In 2013, two major water sources were discovered in the remote areas of Napuu and Lotikipi; areas where lack of water and food are common denominators.

Over the years, many Kenyans equated Turkana County to a desert dismissing it as a face of hopelessness.

With the discovery of water, which now flows freely, residents are more optimistic than never before.

45-year old Margaret Kaukwan, and a mother of eight, is a proud beneficiary of the water project as she has now been saved the trouble of walking for miles in search of the precious commodity.

“I used to fetch water from River Turkwel,” she says. “I would go to the river three times a day and this was extremely tiring. The water is heavy and the river is far.”

Kaukwan says that the water from River Turkwel, is not fit for human consumption.

“That water makes people sick as it is not safe for human consumption.”

Though not everybody in Turkana has piped water, the residents have the option of accessing boreholes in the area.

“I help my neighbors with water,” she adds. “But I do not help them every day.”

According to Turkana County Chief Officer for Water, Irrigation and Agriculture Paul Ekutan, there are 60 operational boreholes in the county which allow over 200,000 people to access water.

“71 percent of Turkana people have access to clean water,” says Ekutan. “We have four irrigation schemes around River Turkwel all aimed at ensuring food security for the residents.”

Discovered two years ago, the Napuu aquifer has a capacity of 250 million cubic meters of water.

The Napu water source is 20 KM in width and 40 KM in length.

“We need to harvest more water,” says Ekutan. “Our main objective is agriculture. We are encouraging farmers to produce high value crops.”

Though drilling of water has stopped due to financial constraints, Ekutan says the county is targeting about 120-150 boreholes this year.

“We need to do more. Water will bring development in this County as it is a necessity for any viable development project such as construction of schools and hospitals as well as the running of the same facilities.”