Marsabit County

Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads, Airports, Climate & National Monuments in Marsabit County

Geography of Marsabit County

Most of the Marsabit County is constituted of an extensive plain, lying between 300 and 900 ms, sloping gently towards the south east. The plain is bordered to the west and north by hills and mountain ranges interspersed by volcanic cones and calderas. The most notable topographical features in Marsabit County are Ol Donyo Ranges in the southwest, Mount Marsabit in the central part of the County, Hurri Hills in the north-eastern area, Mount Kulal in northwest and the mountains around Sololo Moyale Escarpment in the northeast. The main physical feature is Chalbi Desert which forms a depression covering 100,000 km2. This depression lies between 435 and 500 ms elevation, and is separated from Lake Turkana, 100 ms lower in elevation, by a ridge which rises to 700 ms.

Land Use in Marsabit County

Much of the land in Marsabit County is owned communally except few areas in Saku Constituency. Less than 1% of land is registered in the county. Among the registered area is around Mount Marsabit, Marsabit Town and Dakabaricha in Saku Constituency. Agriculture and rural development contributes about 60% of Marsabit’s economy and employs 70% of the rural population. This is also vital for food security with poverty being a major development challenge. Over 65% of the population is food secure with an average poverty levels estimated at 68%. Prolonged drought, poor infrastructure, insecurity, wanton degradation and underdeveloped markets inhibit the success of rural initiatives in Marsabit.

Highlights in Marsabit County

Marsabit County has a great number of interesting attraction sites that include Marsabit National Park and Reserve, Sibiloi National Park, Lake Paradise, Mount Marsabit, its tropical rain forests and diverse cultures from different communities. There are a variety of wildlife which includes rare species of black rhino and great kudu. Other main animals found in the county include elephants, buffalos, lions, bush bulks, baboons, leopards, zebras, gazelles, giraffes and different kinds of birds such as ostriches. It also has Chalbi Desert.

Koobi Fora Museum HQ. Image Courtesy of National Museums of Kenya

Population in Marsabit County

The vastness of Marsabit County makes population density relatively small, just 4 people / km2 in 2012 – the lowest in Kenya. From the 2009 National Population and Housing Census, Marsabit County’s projected population was 316,206 people in 2012. The projections are based on annual growth rate of 2.75%. The population was projected to increase to 343,399 people by 2015 and further to 372,931 people by 2017. There are two major towns and three urban centres in Marsabit County: Moyale and Marsabit, while the urban centres are Sololo, Loiyangalani and Laisamis had a total projected population of 70,868 at 2012. Marsabit’s urban population was expected to increase to 99,869 in 2017.

Airports in Marsabit County

Marsabit County has five airstrips situated at Marsabit, North Horr, Sololo, Turbi and Moyale. Marsabit Airstrip is undergoing renovation but the others four are in fair condition. It is hoped to connect Marsabit to Nairobi City by air.

Roads in Marsabit County

The newly laid A2 Merille-Moyale Road through Marsabit became the foremost tarmac road ever in Marsabit County. The total road network in the county is 2,431 kms which consist of 397 kms gravel surface and 2,034 kms earth surface.

Climate in Marsabit County

Apart from the areas around the slopes of the Hurri Hills, the lower slopes of Mount Marsabit and the middle slope of Mount Kulal, Marsabit County has low unreliable rainfall and high rates of evaporation. Most regions of Marsabit County are adust with a mean annual temperature of about 30 Degrees Celsius.