Best places to visit in Wajir Kenya : Here is a list of Wajir County’s top Kenya safari tourist destinations. The Borana word “wajir” approximately translates to “coming together.” This is one of the oldest towns in northern Kenya, Wajir, is developing quickly into a model desert town. The first museum in northern Kenya is located in Wajir Town, which served as the British colonial headquarters when they founded it in 1912. The town is therefore rich in natural, historical, and cultural history, the majority of which is conserved by the museum, whose current exhibition is titled “A Window to Northern Kenya. Wajir is home to a wide diversity of fauna in addition to its historical legacy. On the outskirts, giraffes, ostriches, gazelles, birds, and other animals are free to roam. The top Kenya tours attractions in Wajir County are listed below, in no particular order:
The Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy
The Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy was founded in 2018 and is home to two of the big five lions and Buffaloes, gazelles, hyenas, oryx, the critically endangered reticulated Somali giraffe, Grévy’s zebra, and Somali ostriches. Other kenya wildlife safaris attractions in Sabuli include buffaloes, smaller kudus, monkeys, and cheetahs. Four years later, the Sabuli Wildlife Conservancy was established as a livelihood safety net to protect residents from the loss of cattle during the periodic droughts. It is still one of the objectives set forward to counteract climate change and its negative impacts.
Orahey wells
The word “Orahey” refers to a location with lots of sunlight. Although the Orahey wells are no longer in service, they are the oldest in the area and are credited by the town’s elders with its growth. They are located not far from the town centre. Residents congregate here in times of drought to pray for rain, while devout Muslims come here to celebrate holidays. Because of its advantageous position and capacity for big gatherings, the area is utilised for public activities in addition to religious ones. The Orahey water wells, which date back more than a century, are located beneath the surface. Pastoralists who live in and around Wajir town depend on these wells for their livelihood. The settlements surrounding Wajir town are thought to have at least ten water wells.
It was the primary water source, so decades ago, herders would bring their livestock here to drink. However, things have changed since then; water pans and boreholes have been built outside of the town, close to their communities.
World War II bunkers
The village is filled with World War II bunkers that are connected by tunnels below ground. During the 1940s, the Italian army used the bunkers to keep the area out of the hands of the British and Commonwealth forces. The health department offices and Orahey wells provide views of trenches and bunkers.
Fort El wak
The centre of El Wak town is home to Fort El Wak. The surrounding structures are drastically different from its towering, weathered white limestone walls. The fort is very important historically in Kenya, even though its exact building date is still unknown. Italian forces began moving northward into Kenya in 1940 as part of World War II, aiming to enlarge their territory and incorporate one of Britain’s colonies. The two European countries engaged in a bloody combat. Since they were in complete control of the fort at the time, the British had an advantage over their opponent country. Kenya’s northernmost fort provided shelter, and that’s where the British won their regional win. The town’s police post is today Fort El Wak, which been long ago removed of its wartime responsibilities.
Lake Yahud
On the edge of the town of Wajir lies a permanent lake called Lake Yahud. “The primitive Jewish lake that never lacks water,” as the locals affectionately call it. During the process of mining resources for Wajir Airport’s construction in the 1970s, the lake was formed. The lake was created and given the name Yahud after a cordial Jewish contractor at the airport when the enormous quarry pit filled with rainwater.
Wajir Museum
The town’s centenary was celebrated with the opening of the Wajir Museum in April 2011.There are several kenya safari tour attractions within this northern town such as Historic buildings, Italian war bunkers, the Yahut dam, the Shaletey wells, old houses, and the Orahey wells are only a few of the historical Kenya tour destinations and monuments that are preserved by the museum in Wajir. Italian prisoners of war built the oldest structures in the town, including the museum. The county’s emergency response unit, police station, county commissioners’ deputy offices, paediatric centre and meteorological department are also housed in these monuments. Given that pastoralists used the wells as major gathering places, they have great historical significance. Access to the history and customs of people in northern Kenya is provided by the museum.
Wagalla massacre
This is Possibly one of the biggest abuses of human rights in Kenyan history was the Wagalla massacre. In the calm Wajir area, heavily armed security personnel arrived between February 10 and 14, 1984, supposedly to seize any illicit firearms that the villagers may have been holding. Early on February 10, they kidnapped Somali men belonging to the Degodia clan from their houses and imprisoned them at the nearby airstrip for four days without food or water. By the third day, the nude men arranged head-down along the Wagalla airfield were beginning to show signs of weakness from hunger and thirst. The ones who remained strong enough determined that enough was enough. The last hope of their souls, they turned and ran towards the barbed wire. The security personnel opened fire on them. Hundreds of men lay dead twenty-four hours later. Their bodies, shot through, lay strewn over the airport and its forested surroundings (Source: KNHCR). In the villages, there were also reports of rapes, animal killings, and house fires. It is estimated that about 482 deaths occurred.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), along with other partners, sponsored the building of a memorial in Wajir Town as a way to honour those who died in the Wagalla massacre. The names of 482 fatalities are etched on marble and adhered to a wall in the monument, which was unveiled on February 14, 2014. In order to confirm that these names were, in fact, those of the victims of the massacre, a rigorous validation process was conducted on the names extracted from the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission report.
Wajir Airport
This Airport which is approximately five kilometres from Wajir town was converted from a military installation and is now Kenya’s third-biggest and busiest airport in terms of both passenger volume and aircraft traffic. The more airline operators that are in charge of both domestic and international flights, the greater the growth. Both internal and foreign flight routes.
