Island of peace at the heart of desolate region

Turkana dancers in Loiyangalani. They do not just dance to entertain but also to preserve their culture. Photo/GEORGE OMONDI

Story by GEORGE OMONDI
Publication Date: 2008/04/01

To many Kenyans, the North Rift is synonymous with insecurity, thanks to the region’s perception as the land of cattle rustlers and bandits.


However, for tourists who enjoy navigating through the harsh terrain of northern tourist circuit, Loiyangalani Centre is a worthy resting stop.

The centre, which is near the shores of Lake Turkana, is like a shimmering mirage that adds colour to the vast arid and semi-arid region. But one has to get there to believe that the water is real, not a mirage.

To those familiar with the lifestyles of pastoralist communities, Loiyangalani is a haven of peace and a place of plenty in the middle of a land known for its desert-like conditions.

And although many communities in the North Rift are traditional enemies, at Loiyangalani, they live and share out their resources in harmony.


Welcome relief

Arrival at the centre, after spending days in the wilderness gives a life-after-death feeling. For tourists, the inviting blue-green waters of Lake Turkana which signals the arrival at the centre are a sight to behold in Loiyangalani.

The cool breeze that blows from the lake provides a welcome relief to visitors, after days of journeying through the hot and dry land.

Visitors who begin their journey by road from Nairobi via Isiolo, Samburu, Marsabit and North Horr to Sibiloi National Park, just a few kilometres from the country’s border with Ethiopia, are likely to arrive at Loiyangalani on the fifth day, if they choose to return to Nairobi via the South Horr–Baragoi-Maralal-Nyahururu road.

A stop-over at Loiyangalani, can leave the visitor feeling that one is no longer at the heart of the harsh arid region. After days of endless sand, one arrives at the centre only to be surrounded by water – not only from the lake but also from the hot springs that form the beautiful fountains that are a leading attraction at the centre.

Residents fondly refer to the centre as “a refreshing and a delightful oasis of quietness and friendship”. Like in most parts of northern Kenya, the communities living at the centre have preserved their culture.

Cattle rustling
Most pastoralist communities in the north are embroiled in cattle rustling and other wars over grazing land and water, which is scarce in the area. Each community believes that its members are victims of hostile neighbours, whom they depict as aggressors who cannot be trusted.

Besides cattle, the area residents have large numbers of camels and goats – the only other livestock that can withstand the harsh conditions.

But to the people of the region, these are not just animals. They signify one’s economic status. The more you have the richer you are — even if you acquired them after a battle with a neighbouring community.

At Loiyangalani centre, members of the Samburu, Turkana, El Molo and Rendile communities live side by side in harmony. They draw strength from their diversity and transact daily business in impressive Kiswahili — the preferred language at the centre.

Every morning, men and women at the centre begin their days early in the morning and continue working throughout the day.

Women mostly gather in groups and weave items for sale while some stay home to build houses. Men herd livestock as others collect and sell precious stones. The El Molo men mostly spend their time fishing.

Although each community maintains its culture, the work of NGOs in bringing them together, is largely noticeable in Loiyangalani.

Every youth or women’s project consists of members from different communities.
The groups usually sell members’ products, but they are also involved in environmental conservation efforts and tapping the tourism sector.

Mosaretu (short for El Molo, Samburu, Rendile and Turkana) women’s group is doing brisk business providing lodging and camping facilities to tourists who visit the region.

The accommodation is provided as a cluster of Turkana houses built under the shade of palm trees where temperatures are cooler during the day.

Mosaretu members, comprising about 50 women from the four different communities, usually perform ceremonial dances to entertain tourists and also organise cultural visits to various villages.

At the lodge, bath water is drawn directly from the hot springs. It is usually hot throughout the day and night, having been heated naturally.

At Loiyangalani centre, Turkana villagers gather outside their manyattas every evening to perform traditional dances until late into the night.
The performances are a sight to behold. Edong’a, Ekwale and Etung’ are some of the dances that a visitor is likely to enjoy the most.

“Our evening dances do not target visitors but they are part of our age-old cultural practices that we have to adhere to – with or without visitors,” said an elder, who only identified himself as Ekwe.

He explained that after every day’s work, villagers come together to share and celebrate their experiences through songs and dances.

Express love

Through the songs, young unmarried men express their love to young eligible girls — in the presence of the community members who include their parents.

Men who may have had heroic encounters at the grazing fields during the day also use the songs to narrate their escapades to the approval of ululating women.

Having wandered through the vast arid and semi arid north, the carnival mood that sets in every evening, as villagers prepare for the dances is a welcome relief, after the hard life that the pastoralist communities have to face each day.

But if tourism is to be improved in the region, the entire 235-km road towards Maralal needs to be rehabilitated as it is bumpy and mostly bordered by deep gullies.

One would be forgiven for thinking that he was on the surface of the moon. The section between Baragoi to Maralal is largely impassable during rainy seasons and hardly has any functioning bridges.

Fishermen at Lake Turkana said the poor state of roads hinders them from delivering their fresh catch to their customers in other towns.

“Few vehicles use the road to Maralal and this has forced us to preserve and sell our fish in dried forms only,” a fisherman at the shores of Lake Turkana told the Daily Nation.

The residents want the Government to build good roads to open up the region for tourism and promote the fishing industry.

Water is also a major problem in the region. Just a few kilometres from Lake Turkana, thirsty villagers, plastic bottles and gourds in hand, usually run towards any vehicle approaching from Loiyangalani to beg for water from passengers.

The farther one moves southward from Loiyangalani, the more the inter-community conflict between pastoralists intensifies, largely due to lack of water and pasture for the large number of livestock.

Guns in the wrong hands — something that is unheard of at Loiyangalani — are the order of the day in the dry parts where livestock is the only source of livelihood.
The guns are also a constant threat to private ranches and wild animals’ sanctuaries that dot the section between Baragoi, Maralal, Laikipia and Nyahururu.

Loiyangalani, a haven for harmony and peaceful coexistence, provides a case study for ending the incessant inter-community wars of the North Rift where lack of water, grazing ground and poor incomes have seen communities fighting for ages.

But the magic that works at Loiyangalani — especially the abundance of water — must be replicated in the other areas for peace to reign.

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