PROJECTS > RONGO > LOCATION

Description of the project location

MIGORI DISTRICT

Partial map of Kenya indicating the project area.

Description of the location

Size

The project area is approximately 40,294 sq. km. It is expected to increase as the activities expand as planned. We intend to push towards Hola and Ijara and towards Lamu.

Climatic conditions

The project area is in the dry areas of Tana River and Lamu districts except where it is near the Tana River and the ocean. The rainfall here ranges between a mean of between 200mm – 500mm and sometimes to 1,200 with the areas near the ocean getting a mean of between 1,200 – 1,500mm. The rainfall comes in two seasons, (March – June and October - December). When it rains accessibility to some of the project areas becomes difficult. The temperatures range between, 20 and 30-35 centigrade. The climate is hot, dry and humid for most part of the year.

Infrastructure

The roads network is poor and in certain places non-existent. Telephone services are only found at the market places and at Hola, and Lamu District headquarters. There are three major roads i.e. Malindi – Hola road, Malindi - Lamu road and Garissa – Hola road.

Institutions

There are very few primary and secondary schools. Market places are small and not with enough goods. Few are churches and mosques. The main secondary schools are Wenje, Mau Mau, Kipini, Tarasaa, Ngao, Kipini, Hewani.

Population size

An approximately Between 85,000 and 125,000 population lives in the proposed project area. Except for the area near the river, the population is sparsely distributed. The population is composed of several ethnic groups, the major ones being:

The Pokomo who are mainly agriculturists and living along the river. These are mainly Christians and a more open society, with higher education levels.
The Wardei who are mainly pastoralists live in the drier (scrubland), areas. These are mainly Moslems and are conservative.
The Orma are mainly pastoralists and live like the Wardei in the scrubland. These are also mainly Moslems and conservative.
The Wasanye: this is a small ethnic grouping to be found around the Kipini area around Witu/Boni forest and are also scattered in the Tarasaa area of Garsen division. They tend to be traditionalist, and have no specific occupation except that they are wanderers in the forest and bushes gathering wild fruits and honey.

Women fetching water at the Tana River.

Others: These include, people from up – country, who include the Luo, the Giriama, and others who live in the towns and in the settlement schemes in the Project area.

Economic status

Most of the people here live in the rural areas. Their sources of income are very limited. They survive on the little income that comes from engaging in cattle trade, selling mango, basketry and little agricultural products. When the rice irrigation scheme existed, and the Chinese were constructing the Malindi – Hola Road, a few local people found some temporary employment with these projects. However, they have since stopped and hence those who had employment with them are now idle. Most of them live below the poverty line.

Educational status

As discussed above, there are very few schools in the project area. Moreover some of the communities, especially the pastoralists hardly send their children to school. Educational levels are therefore very low.

Natural resources

The area is not very rich in natural resources. River Tana is the only resource that people depend on for domestic and irrigation water. The people who live along the river catch fish, for sell and for use as food. And since the land around the river is fertile they grow crops (bananas, maize, mangoes and vegetables).

However the river is invested with crocodiles and highly contaminated making it very dangerous to those who use it.