Lokichokio
Encyclopedia
Turkana District
Turkana District is an administrative district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Turkana is the northwesternmost district in Kenya. It is bordered by the countries of Uganda to the west; South Sudan and Ethiopia, including the disputed Ilemi Triangle, to the north and northeast; and Lake...
, northwest of Kenya
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...
(4°12′00"N 34°21′00"E). It is often called Loki. The town lies on the A1 road
A1 road (Kenya)
The A1 road is a long road in Kenya extending from the Tanzanian border to the Sudanese border.- Towns :The following towns, listed from south towards north, are located along the highway *Isebania *Migori*Awendo*Rongo*Kisii...
, and is served by the Lokichogio Airport
Lokichogio Airport
-Location:Lokichogio Airport is located in Turkana District, Rift Valley Province, in the town of Lokichogio, in the northwestern corner of the Republic of Kenya, close to the Internatioal borders with South Sudan and Uganda. Its location is approximately , by air, northwest of Nairobi...
.
It is about 30 kilometers from the international border with South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
and is host to UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
offices (part of the Operation Lifeline Sudan
Operation Lifeline Sudan
Operation Lifeline Sudan is a consortium of UN agencies and approximately 35 NGOs operating in southern Sudan to provide humanitarian assistance throughout war-torn and drought-afflicted regions in the South...
program), around 49 NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s, and a large hospital run by the ICRC
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
.
Local peoples are mainly nomads of the Turkana tribe and derive their livelihood by looking after indigenous cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. Ninety kilometers south of Loki is Kakuma
Kakuma
Kakuma town is located in Turkana District, in the northwestern region of Kenya. Kakuma is the Swahili word for "nowhere", epitomizing the seclusion of the area....
, one of the largest refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
camps in Kenya. Refugees from Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, the DRC
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, and several other surrounding countries can be found in Kakuma.
Loki is the outermost Kenyan town on the border with Sudan. Kenyans from the southern part of Loki, however, maintain that Lodwar
Lodwar
Lodwar is the largest town in northwestern Kenya, located west of Lake Turkana on the A1 road. Its main industries are basket weaving and tourism. The Loima Hills lie to its west. Lodwar is the capital of Turkana District...
is the last truly "Kenyan" town in the region, about 200 kilometers south. At the north end of Loki, beyond the noted dry river bed, the Kenyan military
Military of Kenya
The Kenya Defence Forces are the armed forces of the Republic of Kenya. The Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, and Kenya Air Force comprise the national Defence Forces. The current Kenya Defence Forces were established, and its composition laid out, in Article 241 of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya...
has set up a border checkpoint
Border checkpoint
A border checkpoint is a place, generally between two countries, where travellers and/or goods are inspected. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders often have a limited number of checkpoints where they can be crossed without legal...
. This is considered the "true" border between Kenya and Sudan. Beyond this point lies a road leading to Nadapal
Nadapal
Nadapal is a community in the north of the Turkana District of Kenya near the border with the Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan. The Nadapal belt is an area stretching southward from the border with South Sudan to Lokichogio in Kenya....
, the Sudanese checkpoint which is about thirty kilometers away. The area known as "no-man's land" is situated between these two checkpoints.
The Middle East Reformed Fellowship
Middle East Reformed Fellowship
Middle East Reformed Fellowship is a missionary organization evangelizing the Middle East, North Africa and now Indonesia on behalf of Reformed Churches and believers worldwide.- Statement of Faith and Accountability :...
maintains a base here to administer diaconal aid to Sudan, a training centre for pastors and elders from Sudan, Kenya, and surrounding areas, and a broadcasting centre that prepares messages in the Dinka and Nuer languages.
In fiction
The town has been mentioned several times in pieces of fiction dealing with UN and NGO aid activity there. It was featured in the John Le Carré book on which the 2005 film The Constant GardenerThe Constant Gardener (film)
The Constant Gardener is a 2005 drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles. The screenplay by Jeffrey Caine is based on the John le Carré novel of the same name. It tells the story of Justin Quayle, a man who seeks to find the motivating forces behind his wife's murder.The film stars Ralph Fiennes,...
was based, and served as the setting for much of Philip Caputo
Philip Caputo
Philip Caputo is an American author and journalist. He is best-known for A Rumor of War, a best-selling memoir of his experiences during the Vietnam War....
's novel, Acts of Faith.
