Isiolo
Encyclopedia
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. It is situated in the Upper Eastern sub-region, and lies 285 kilometres north of Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, the capital city of Kenya. The town grew around the local military camp
Military camp
A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent facility for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large campsites. In the Roman era the military camp had highly...
s, much of the population being descended from former Somali
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s who had fought in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as well as other Cushitic
Cushitic languages
The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in the Horn of Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt. They are named after the Biblical character Cush, who was identified as an ancestor of the speakers of these specific languages as early as AD 947...
-speaking pastoral communities and the Ameru
Ameru
The Meru people, or Ameru, are a Bantu ethnic group who mainly inhabit the Meru region of Kenya. They speak Kimîîru language.The Meru people of Kenya should not be mistaken with the Meru of neighboring Tanzania, or Wameru.-Location:...
community. The predominant population of Isiolo are the Oromo
Oromo language
Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Afan Boran, Afan Orma, and sometimes in other languages by variant spellings of these names , is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic family. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 25 million Oromo and...
-speaking Boran and Sakuye and the Bantu Ameru
Ameru
The Meru people, or Ameru, are a Bantu ethnic group who mainly inhabit the Meru region of Kenya. They speak Kimîîru language.The Meru people of Kenya should not be mistaken with the Meru of neighboring Tanzania, or Wameru.-Location:...
.In recent years there has been a steady migration from the neighbouring communities such Mandera
Mandera
Mandera is a town in North Eastern Province, Kenya. It is capital of the Mandera District. The town is located at around , near the borders with Ethiopia and Somalia. It has a population of 30,433 ....
, Wajir
Wajir
Wajir is a town in the North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is the capital of Wajir County.-History:A cluster of cairns near Wajir are generally ascribed by the local inhabitants to the Madanle, a semi-legendary people of high stature, who are associated with the Somali Ajuuraan. A. T...
and samburu
Samburu
The Samburu are a Nilotic people of north-central Kenya that are related to but distinct from the Maasai. The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists who herd mainly cattle but also keep sheep, goats and camels. The name they use for themselves is Lokop or Loikop, a term which may have a variety of...
, The most populous Division is merti in the northern flank of the district.Isiolo town is the Headquarters of the district and the gateway to the northern half of the country. The town has an estimated population of 80,000 people, most of them living in the rural outbacks of the District. There is an increasing urban population in the recent years, especially from as far as Moyale, Marsabit and mandera. The Isiolo town is also becoming a centre of interest because of the of its newly acquired status as a resort city cashing in on the popular Samburu and Shaba Game reserves and the Meru National Park
Meru National Park
Meru National Park is a Kenyan Game park located east of Meru, 350 km from Nairobi. Covering an area of 870 km², it is one of the most famous known parks of Kenya. It has abundant rainfall, 635–762 mm in the west of the park and 305–356 mm in the east. The rainfall results in...
, which have become preferred destinations after the famed Maasai Mara. Isiolo lies along the long A2 Road, leading towards Marsabit
Marsabit
Marsabit is a town in northern Kenya, located 170 km east of the center of the East African Rift at 37°58' E, 2°19' N . It is located in the Eastern Province and is almost surrounded by the Marsabit National Park and Reserve...
and Moyale
Moyale
Moyale is a market town on the border of Ethiopia and Kenya, which is split between the two countries: the larger portion is in Ethiopia , and the smaller is in Kenya . There are four disputed locations within the Moyale district between the Somali and Oromo regions...
much farther north. The town is served by Isiolo Airport
Isiolo Airport
-Location:Isiolo Airport is located in, Isiolo District, Eastern Province , in the town of Isiolo.Its location is approximately , by air, north of Nairobi International Airport, the country’s largest civilian airport...
, which is set to be upgraded to serve tourism and local exports.
Overview
Isiolo is set to become a major part of Kenya's economic developmentEconomic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
plan Vision 2030. The plan calls for Isiolo to become a tourist center that will include include casinos, hotels, upscale retail outlets, a modern airport and transport facilities.
Isiolo District was designated as the Headquarters of the Northern frontier Districts by The British East Africa Protectorate in 1922, until the North Eastern was curved out as a separate province in 1963 following the Lancaster House Constitutional conference.
Some parts of the districts were lost to the larger Meru District in 1960s during the Shifta war. Some of the famous grazing land such as Bisaan Adi and Bisaan Gurach became part of Meru National Game Reserve and Mulika Lodge. Isiolo is also known for its large market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
, while jewellry making is a local industry. Isiolo town itself was a part of the Nyambene county council and was transferred to isiolo district since there was no urban centre to serve as district headquarters.
The Samburu
Samburu National Reserve
The Samburu National Reserve is located on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro river in Kenya; on the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve in Northern Kenya. It is 165 km² in size and 350 kilometers from Nairobi and ranges in altitude from 800 to 1230m above sea level...
, Buffalo Springs
Buffalo Springs National Reserve
Buffalo Springs National Reserve is a protected area in the Isiolo District of Eastern Province, in northern Kenya.-Organization:The reserve was established in 1948 as part of the Samburu - Isiolo Game Reserve, and the present boundaries were established in 1985...
and Shaba National Reserve
Shaba National Reserve
Shaba National Reserve is a protected area in northern Kenya to the east of the Samburu and Buffalo Springs national reserves. Together, the three reserves form a large protected area....
s lie north of the town, while Lewa Downs reserve is located south of Isiolo. The Meru National Park
Meru National Park
Meru National Park is a Kenyan Game park located east of Meru, 350 km from Nairobi. Covering an area of 870 km², it is one of the most famous known parks of Kenya. It has abundant rainfall, 635–762 mm in the west of the park and 305–356 mm in the east. The rainfall results in...
lies in the North East of the town.
Since 1995, the town has been the seat of the Vicariate Apostolic of Isiolo
Vicariate Apostolic of Isiolo
The Apostolic Vicariate of Isiolo in Kenya was created on December 15, 1995, when it was split off from the Diocese of Meru. It has headquarters in the Isiolo town....
. On July 14, 2005, Bishop Luigi Locati
Luigi Locati
Luigi Locati was an Italian Catholic missionary and bishop. He was shot to death at the pastoral center of Isiolo, Kenya. Two priests Cyril Mukuchia and Peter Malley Guyo Wako were arrested in connection to his murder....
, who represented the Roman Catholic Church in Isiolo, was murdered.
The town of Isiolo is small but cosmopolitan. With a scenic beauty including an eclectic mix of peoples and cultures, Isiolo is home to the Niger–Congo
Niger–Congo languages
The Niger–Congo languages constitute one of the world's major language families, and Africa's largest in terms of geographical area, number of speakers, and number of distinct languages. They may constitute the world's largest language family in terms of distinct languages, although this question...
and Nilo-Saharan
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
-speaking Ameru
Ameru
The Meru people, or Ameru, are a Bantu ethnic group who mainly inhabit the Meru region of Kenya. They speak Kimîîru language.The Meru people of Kenya should not be mistaken with the Meru of neighboring Tanzania, or Wameru.-Location:...
, Samburu
Samburu
The Samburu are a Nilotic people of north-central Kenya that are related to but distinct from the Maasai. The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists who herd mainly cattle but also keep sheep, goats and camels. The name they use for themselves is Lokop or Loikop, a term which may have a variety of...
and Turkana
Turkana
Turkana may refer to:* Turkana people of Kenya and Ethiopia* Turkana language of Kenya and Ethiopia* Lake Turkana in Kenya* Lake Turkana National Parks* Turkana District in Kenya* the fictional world of Turkana IV in a Star Trek Next Generation episode...
, as well as the Cushitic
Cushitic languages
The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in the Horn of Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt. They are named after the Biblical character Cush, who was identified as an ancestor of the speakers of these specific languages as early as AD 947...
-speaking Rendille
Rendille
The Rendille are a Cushitic speaking ethnic group inhabiting the Kaisut Desert, which is in the North Eastern part of Kenya. They also inhibit the south eastern and southern regions of Mt...
and Boran
Boran
Buran or Poran, or more correctly Burandokht or Purandokht , was the daughter of the King Khosrau II of Persia . She was one of only two women on the throne of the Sassanid dynasty . She was the twenty-sixth Sassanid monarch of Persia, reigning from 630 to 631...
. The large Somali
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
population is mainly the result of retired Somali soldiers who settled in the area after World War I.
Daisy Waugh
Daisy Waugh
Daisy Louisa Dominica Waugh , known as Daisy Waugh, is an English journalist, travel writer, novelist and television presenter.She has also worked as a restaurant critic and as an agony aunt for The Independent...
's book A Small Town in Africa (1994) is about six months Waugh spent living in Isiolo.