Oranges, pawpaws, guava, mango, watermelons, onions, maize – this is the new gold in Mandera County, otherwise known as county 009. The perennial river Daua that rises in southern Ethiopia and flows south east across a corner of Kenya and into Somalia provides a lifeline to Mandera county.
The fast flowing river was first tapped in the 1970s for the Gadudia irrigation scheme. The scheme collapsed by the end of that decade but has been revived and is now providing a new livelihoods to the residents of Mandera. New sites including Border Point One, Aresa, Hareri, Shantoley and Rhamu Dimtu have been identified to further expand this golden opportunity. With produce being sold as far as Somalia Isiolo and Nairobi, Mandera farming is shining a new path for the economic prospects of the county.
Mandera is our most northeastern county. Hemmed in by its southern neighbour Wajir it is sandwiched to the west by Ethiopia and to the east by Somalia. Mandera town is just about the furthest you can get to Kenya travelling northeast. Any further and you are literally in another country!
Go west though and you will find the most beautiful natural rock formations at Takaba. On one side is the Pharaoah that is reminiscent of the Sphinx in Egypt. If you are the adventurous type then you can try some hiking across these amazing rock formations.
On the eastern side of the county is El Wak – also known as the “white city” due to its brilliant white sandy soils. At the centre of this space is a desert town but the starkly white soils make it visible even from satellite view. Its thought that the soils may have an abundance of natural salt in them, making this a livestock paradise!
Mandera county holds lots of interesting surprises.
