Lake Turkana is the marvel of northern Kenya. Gleaming in jade colours, the lake is not just a spectacle of Turkana County; its shores are home to the indigenous El Molo community. El Molo creation myth has it that the lake and the community came to be at once, hence they’re inseparable.
The Tale of Sepenya, the Great Heroine
It is said that a long time ago, Turkana was just a desert littered with small springs here and there. One day, a pregnant woman called Sepenya came to quench her thirst at one of the local springs. When she was hydrated, she proceeded without putting the lid back on the spring. As a result, the spring overflowed with water which flooded the entire area, resulting in Anam Ka’alakol – Lake Turkana.
Sepenya then wandered around in her aloneness, and finally gave birth to a son whom she named Melissa. With no other human being nearby, Sepenya and her son became the forbearers of the El Molo community, founding the community on the southeastern shores of Lake Turkana, where they have been inhabiting to date, currently known as El Molo Bay.
People of the Lake
The El Molo creation myth and its ties to the origin of Lake Turkana inform the community’s way of life. The El Molo who refer to themselves as Gurapau, which translates to people of the lake. Fishing is their sole economic activity, so they spend their time hunting for giant Nile Perch on the alkaline waters of Lake Turkana, and sometimes hippos and Nile crocodiles. Their fishing boats are made of palm trees tied together, and their huts on the shores of the lake are majorly furnished with Doum palm fronds.
As of 2024, the El Molo are on the brink of extinction with only about 1,000 members of this community left in the world. Their restricted diet, primarily consisting of fish, and isolation from neighboring communities which has led to inbreeding, are factors attributed to their shrinking numbers.
Even so, the El Molo remain inseparable from Lake Turkana. The lake is immensely significant for them, not just as a source of nourishment or landmark to their physical location but as a memento of their ancestry.
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