The Floodplains of Isiolo

Clink, Clank, Crash! The sound of something falling to the ground. 

“Amani and Kinyua, do not play with the ball in the house,” Aunt Sara says sternly. 

My cousin Amani and I are throwing a ball back and forth across the room when it hits Amani’s water bottle. We stop playing and I stare at the ceiling in boredom, and start singing, “Rain rain go away, go and come another day, Big Amani wants to play FOOTBALL.” 
Amani laughs at my singing and suggests, “Should we watch TV?”  

“No, there’s nothing fun showing right now,” I reply and sigh. 

“I miss Isiolo,” I say. 

Isiolo County is my home. 

 Amani sits up and says, “let’s play Learn My County.” 

“What? How do you play that?” I ask with a frown on my face. 

“Well, you state something or a place in your county and I guess the story about it,” he replies. 

“Hmm, okay let’s give it a try,” immediately my boredom is forgotten. 

“Archer’s Post?” I begin. 

“Where Isiolo county ends,” Amani responds excitedly. 

“Correct!” 

“What does the name Ewaso Nyiro mean?” I continue. 

“The river?” Amani asks. 

“Yes, the river but what does the name mean?” I spur him on. 

“Oh, it means the river of muddy or brown water,” he answers. 

 “Correct!”  

“Wait, let me show you something really cool on the Atlas.” 

Amani hands me his Atlas and I open it up to the Isiolo County page. 

“Here it is, this is the River Ewaso Nyiro. Here next to the river, this flat land is a floodplain,” I say pointing. 

“What is a floodplain?” Amani asks. 

It’s a flat area of land next to a river or stream. When it rains heavily, the river may flood, and the overflow of water goes to this land, “I respond. 

“Oh I get it, the sediment is the finer soil we see on the side of roads when it rains, just like the soil in a floodplain” Amani adds. 

“Yes, but a lot of it,” I respond, turning the Atlas pages to where there are national parks. 

“Ok it’s my turn to ask the questions. Please, please,” Amani pleads.  

“Alright go ahead.” 

“Name the national parks in Isiolo,” he asks. 

I stand up with enthusiasm and list them off to him. 

Shaba National Reserve. 

Buffalo Springs Park. 

Leparua Community Conservancy. 

Bisandi Game Reserve. 

“Wow! Good job Kinyua. Isn’t it dangerous living amongst all those wild animals?” 

“It is, but we are well protected and wild animals rarely attack us. In fact, the wild animals and livestock coexist,” I say remembering this fact. 

“Wild animals do not attack any livestock?” Amani asks in disbelief, and I nod. 

“Nice, ok let’s move on to the birds you find in these parks.” 

“I am the tiniest bird you can find?” he asks. 

“Mmmmmmhhhhh let me think.” 

Amani starts a countdown to give the answer. 

“5 chicoleco, 4 chicoleco, 3 chicoleco…” 

“The Marsabit (Williamson) Lark.” 

“Correct!” 

“I’d like to come see it.” 

“Yes, you should, and I can also show you our other unique animals: the Grevy’s Zebra with its very thin stripes and the Somali Ostrich with its blue neck.” 

“Wow they must be soooo beautiful.” 

 On and on we go and before long Aunt Sara calls us to lunch. 

“Now that’s a great game. Let’s do my county after lunch.”  

“I have one more which is the best!” I announce as we sit to eat. Did you know that 10,000 acres of land at a place called Kula Mawe was set aside to develop Kenya’s first resort city under Vision 2030?”  

“Ha Ha Ha that’s a funny name Kula Mawe that’s Swahili for Eat Stones, anyway what is a resort city?” Amani asks. 

“It is a city built mainly for tourism related activities. It looks like Isiolo is going to be a very big tourist site because some of the things planned for the resort city are amusement parks, high end accommodation, golf spaces, water sport facilities and art spaces,” I respond. 

“Kinyua, I should come and visit you in Isiolo, I think we will have a lot of fun,” Amani says just as his mother brings us our meal.