About Garissa Way Back When Brief History of Garissa County Before independence from British rule, what we now know as Garissa County was not, at least formally, in Kenya. It was, before carving up of the colonially enforced Northern Frontier District (NFD), part of the Greater Somalia – a long-contested, obscure, region aiming to unite all ethnic Somalis in the Horn of Africa. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the proposition of Greater Somalia started to pick up wind, with the birth of the nation of Somalia, as a united country inhabited by all the Somalis in their "Horn of Africa" of origin. The territory historically encompassed British Jubaland Province (now Jubaland), British Somaliland (now Somaliland), Italian Somaliland, then part of French Somaliland (now Djibouti), the Somali Region in Ethiopia and the Northern Frontier District in Kenya , The scramble for Africa in the Horn of Africa kicked-off with Italians occupying the Benadir in 1890, then presently started to enlarge their Italian Somaliland . The British, who were now making similar advances in the rest of East Africa, were happy to keep away from the region. Even so, in their better judgement of future conflicts, they sought to maintain a geographical buffer between themselves and the Italians. In 1902, the British colonial government of Kenya duly enacted the Outlying District Ordinance, that proclaimed the closure of the Northern Frontier District (Garissa, Wajir. Mandera, Marsabit and Isiolo). This, essentially, restricted movement through the buffer zone between Kenya and Somaliland. This forlorn state of affairs would persist until 1960, way after the official annexation of region. During World War I , Britain secretly reached an agreement with Italy to transfer to the Italians 94,050 square kilometers of the Jubaland protectorate , which was situated in present-day southwestern Somalia. This was Italy's reward for allying itself with Britain in its war against Germany. The treaty was honored, and in 1924, Britain ceded Jubaland. This ushered an eternal conflict! First, Somalia engaged, after World War I , in the Ogaden War with Ethiopia over the Somali region, and supported Somali insurgents against Kenya. As a result, in 1925, the British carved the Northern Frontier District out of Jubaland. Later on, in 1946, the Somali Youth League selected Harar as the future capital of Greater Somalia and subsequently sent delegates to the United Nations office in Mogadishu to reveal this proposal. The unconcern for the Northern Frontier District, with constant thwarting on any hopes to create Greater Somalia, relented, in earnest, for much of the next two decades. In 1960, the NFD, guided by the Northern Province People’s Progressive Party, sought, again, to secede it from Kenya and be reunited with Somalia; but it failed. Soon after the independence, the Shifta Wars, pitting the new Government against Northern Frontier District Liberation Army, flared up in December of 1963. This failed too, further alienating the region. The creation of ‘protected villages’ by counter-insurgency units, and the killing of many Somalis, distressed and changed the NFD. Even after the Shifta War formally ended in 1967, unrest persisted for decades. The rank and file of Somali leaders remained in prison till the late 1970s, and emergency rule in then North Eastern Province remained in place until 1991. Garissa and the surrounding areas had little real or perceived economic value, and the arid conditions made it undesirable. The British only established a military outpost in Garissa town owing largely to its strategic location and access to water from River Tana. Similarly, with the subsequent government, after independence, it endured political oppression and economic exclusion. Historically, the ethnic Somalis, had, futully, even in the run-up to Kenya’s independence, endeavored to be free; to unite, at last, with the greater Somalia. This did not sit well with any Government and it was rendered a ‘closed space’ on a national level, perhaps to reinforce ethnic consciousness. The woes continued, all along driving the region economically backward. Garissa also had its share of tragedies arising from the subsequent government, notably of the Garissa Bulla Kartasi Massacre of 1980. While such unconcern is hard to comprehend, some of the crossness felt by the Kenyan Somali is rooted in a very tangible history of marginalisation. Aside from being marginalised, the dominant Somali tribe of Garissa are also divided amongst themselves. Wahhabism has grown increasingly influential in Kenya in recent decades. Garissa town had five Wahhabi madrassas by the early 1990s. The Wahhabist critique of secular political order set its adherents at odds with an older generation of Kenyan Muslims who were closer to the austere political establishment. Today, its fraught politics are intertwined with the complex Somali clan structures that extend across into Greater Somalia and upward into Ethiopia. Touring Garissa County offers a unique blend of cultural immersion, natural beauty, and opportunities to explore the traditional way of life in northeastern Kenya, unchanged since the days of yore. It's a chance to experience authentic Somali culture and hospitality while enjoying the serene beauty of northeastern. You Are Here: Garissa County Where to Next? Explore Destinations in Garissa County A Guide to Garissa County A Summa Digest of Garissa About Garissa Way Back When 18 Destinations in Garissa County , arranged as one would visit these - west, north, east then south - with aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart: River Tana , Almond Resort , Suuq Mugdi Market , Jamia Mosque Garissa, Garissa Culture and Heritage Center , Garissa Giraffe Centre , Garissa Solar Power Plant , Bour-Algi Giraffe Sanctuary , Rahole National Reserve , Merti Plains , River Ewaso Nyiro , Lorian Swamp , Dadaab Camp , Arawale National Reserve , Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy , Lake Ishaqbini , Boni Forest National Reserve , Lag Badana Reserve Know More About Garissa County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including a distance chart, Airports, Climate & National Monuments What's The Air Like In Garissa? Temperatures are generally high throughout the year in Garissa, ranging from 20 o C to a high of 38 o C. The average temperature is 36 o C. February is the hottest month of year. What's The Lay Of The Land In C.07 ? The vast Garissa County is basically flat and low-lying without notable hills, valleys and mountains. It rises from a low altitude of 200 to 400 ms Know More About Garissa County…

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