It is the Turkana moment to celebrate largest water source

By Donald B Kipkorir

We have a new dance in town that we are all joining. It is called akimumwar, a Turkana dance. Prof Judy Wakhungu, our affable and eloquent Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Water & Natural Resources is leading in the dance.

When you discover water that can sustain the whole country for 70 years, it got to be a reason to celebrate. And of all places, the water is discovered in Turkana. All of us have to learn Turkana dances and its musical instrument, ngiboro lukidongaet. It is a Turkana moment, one that no one wants to miss out and no tickets.

Turkana County is one with conflicted record. For those who believe in evolution, like my best friend, Dr Ekuru Aukot, Turkana is the Cradle of Mankind, and every other person is a photocopy. The Leakey family tells us that Australopithecus anamensis, our distant relative lived in Turkana 4 million years ago. Turkana is the largest County in Kenya. These are all for the positive attributes.

All others are negative. Turkana is at the bottom in Kenya on education, health, and infrastructure. And in security, we have left the Turkana to sling it out with its equally tough neighours; the Pokot, Merille, Toposa and Karamojong. With its harsh climate, it is sheer miracle the Turkana still survive as a tribe.

Then in walk Tullow Plc and in tow UNESCO and in an abracadabra moment, we find oil then water.

It is not the first time that Turkana is an outpost of curious tourists and buccaneers. In the late 19th Century, we had the noble Hungarian Count Sámuel Teleki de Szék [1845-1916] and an Austrian naval officer, Ludwig Ritter von Höhnel [1857-1942] both explorers and expeditionists who claimed to have discovered Lake Turkana, which they named Lake Rudolf in honour of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria.

Then came Irish Tullow Oil Plc who told us they have struck oil in the Turkana basin. Now French hydrogeologists under the banner of UNESCO announcing discovery of the largest aquifer in Africa. The illustrious visit to Turkana by the Hungarian, Austria, Irish and the French reminds us of the famous Roman phrase, Veni, vidi, vici. They came, they saw, they conquered.

But will the final Chapter of the Turkana story be a tragedy or triumph? Prof Wakhungu and Cabinet Secretary for Energy Davis Chirchir, have the first opportunity to write the opening draft of this last chapter. The two ministers have two well-trodden paths to choose.

They can choose the Dutch Disease in which abundance of natural resources destroy a country, and they have a new friend Nigeria and DR Congo to look at. There, neither the indigenous people have not benefitted nor have the countries.

Only small elite has. Or, they can follow the Norwegian Paradox, where natural resources have been a blessing as in Norway.

The world is run and survives on three issues: water, energy and food. They say the next World War will be fought over these three. In Turkana, we have the potential of these three converging in abundance. As we do further tests on the potential of these oil and water finds, we must temper the nation’s expectations. We are yet to know the quantity and quality of both. Chad has oil but of useless quality. And the aquifer may yet turn out water that is not drinkable.

And being next to Lake Turkana whose water is useless, the aquifer may be affected. The potential for both oil and water are great but so are the negative unknowns. In the meanwhile, till we know their potential, it is time to celebrate.

The Turkana can be invited to the national table. We must kiss and make up with them. For long, we had promoted the Maasai as our national emblem for tourism. Now exit the Maasai and enter the Turkana. The stone, which the builders rejected, is now the cornerstone. Let the Turkana dance go on. Prof Wakhungu, don’t stop the dance. Alongside Chirchir, innovate a Turkana tango. It is time for celebration. We are all a Turkana Village now. One big Ngamia I, Lotikipi and Loiyangalani till the next round of explorers.

The writer is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.