Remember the Goat

Elephant crossing the Great North Road in Samburu County, with Ololokwe in the background. The Great North Road takes you north all the way to the border with Ethiopia at Moyale.

A watering hole in the Chalbi Desert, Marsabit County. Springs such as this are what make life possible in the desert. People bring their animals here to drink and they also collect water to take back to their homes or temporary grazing camps. Once filled with water, the plastic containers are loaded onto the traditional donkey panniers.

Not in a park, not in a reserve. It is getting harder and harder to find cats outside of these places though. Too many people, too many dangers (people are always the main danger). Samburu County.

As seen from near Porro. About an hours drive north from Maralal in Samburu County. I think this is my favourite place to view the Rift Valley, a spectacular 1000m drop. Sadly it has been plagued by conflict for as long as I have known it, which hampers its obvious tourism potential.

Not in a park, not in a reserve. There are places in Kenya where they still roam the land as they always have. I have been lucky enough to live in one of those places. These places are shrinking though. The voracious human appetite, to own, use, destroy, and most of all, not to share, is crowding them out.

A Lake Turkana fishing boat with paddle and fishing net.

There is a tendency to think that because it is not 'oil', because it is healthier for the environment, that it is all round good. It might be renewable, but it is still a big money energy enterprise. So far the Lake Turkana Wind Farm has had a very checkered history in its relationship with the local community. Seeming little better than Tullow Oil, who are operating on the other side of the lake. Both seem to think that they can just toss a few meagre development bones to the local people and then forget about them.

The kids are discussing what they learned in class today.

Sibiloi National Park and the origin of mankind, this way…..

Northern Kenya has so much to offer visitors, but lacks infrastructure, facilities and sadly it is often lacking adequate security too. New roads are helping to open it up, new investment is needed in education and training.

Northern Kenya needs more than just occasional visits from uber rich tourists traveling in helicopters. It needs budget and mid-range tourists who will spend their money at locally owned and operated ventures.

At Olng'arua School in northern Kenya. www.darefoundation.com

Land has a 'carrying capacity' for livestock, which is dependent on things like soil, vegetation, weather.  When land is grazed by more animals than it can 'carry' it becomes degraded and this leads to erosion. Often the land looks like it is suffering from drought but actually there has just been too many livestock.