Wetlands in Tana River County
River Tana Delta: Kenya’s Largest
According to tribal legends, the name Tana was coined in the late 1800s with the early intimations between the Pokomo and the outer world. This was accented in the early 1900s by the enduring arrival of missionaries. As so, as early explorers ventured upstream, the Pokomo also gathered, in numbers, to catch a glimpse of the strangers. On enquiry of the name of this tremendous river, the Pokomo did not have a name for it, and simply answered “Tsana”, a term translating as “river”.
And from these interactions the river came to be known as “Tana” after which the county gets its name. Tana River Tana is Kenya’s longest, flowing for over half the length of the country, with a catchment area of 95,000 km2, before draining at the Indian Ocean at Ungwana Bay in Kipini. It travels over five counties from its source in the Aberdares and Mt. Kenya – west and east of Nyeri, with a river basin draining 21% of the Kenya’s land surface and sustaining 18% of Kenya’s population.
Along its course, the mighty Tana River offers a crucial lifeline for both the wildlife and for the people who live along its banks, notably at the Bura and Tana Delta Irrigation Scheme which draws from it. Further upstream, the Tana River Power Project, also dubbed the Seven Forks project, is Kenya’s all-important hydro-electric source. At the tail end, debouching into Indian Ocean, Tana River accounts for 50% of Kenya’s river discharge, draining four billion litres of fresh water yearly. In Tana River County, the red muddy waters of the Tana flank the eastern border.
One of the salient ecosystems is the River Tana Delta. This diversity hotspot is home to a pronounced array of endangered species, and was designated as a Ramsar (Wetland of International Importance) site in 2012. The delta is roughly triangular in shape, with its apex at Lake Bilisa (north of Garsen) and its base a 50 km stretch of beach along Ungwana (or Formosa) Bay, stretching from Kipini in the north-east to Mto Kilifi in the south-west. This low-lying area is bound by higher land to the east and west and to the south by a dune system linked to the ocean.
Tana River Delta forms the interface between the river and the ocean, with fresh and brackish lakes and streams, freshwater and saline grasslands and wetlands, and succession stages of forest and woodland on the riverbanks and the dune ridges parallel to the shore. It also contains a variety of habitats including forest, grassland, woodland, bushland, lakes, mangroves, dunes, beaches, estuaries and coastal waters. Small fragments of riverine forest, not nearly as extensive as the forests north of Garsen, occur along the present-day and former river courses.
Along the last 65 km of the course, Tana River has a broad flood plain, 1 to 6 km wide, covered by alluvial sediment deposited during floods. Flooding takes place in response to heavy rains on the Aberdares and Mount Kenya watersheds rather than local rainfall. These lowland evergreen forests are patchy, often at different succession stages, and are heavily reliant on ground water supplied by the river.
Kenya boasts a variety of wetlands, each offering unique ecological, cultural, and recreational opportunities. Kenya’s lakes along the Rift Valley, like Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, and Lake Elementaita, have wetland areas important for resident and migratory birds. All wetlands are important for biodiversity conservation and contribute to local economies through tourism, fishing, and agriculture.
Index of Wetlands in Kenya
Baringo County - Loboi Swamp, Busia County - Yala Swamp, River Sio Siteki Swamp, Budalang'i Delta, Garissa County - Lorian Swamp, Kajiado County - Shompole Swamp, Lake Amboseli, Kiambu County - The Ondiri Swamp, Kilifi County - River Sabaki Delta, Kisumu County - Nyando (Kusa) Wetland, Machakos County - Athi River Basin, Nakuru County - Rift Valley Wetlands, Nandi County - Kingwal Swamp, Narok County - Mara River Arc, Tana River County - Tana River Delta, Taita Taveta County - Kanderi Swamp
outlook
Tana River County is a rewarding destination for travelers interested in exploring off-the-beaten-path locations in Kenya. River Tana is the longest river in Kenya, flowing through the county and offering opportunities for riverine activities such as boat cruises, fishing, and birdwatching. Tana River County is home to the Orma and Pokomo ethnic groups, each with rich cultural traditions, music, and dances.
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Explore Destinations Nearby Tana River Delta
A Guide to Tana River County
A Summa Digest of Tana River
About Tana River Way Back When
28 Destinations in Tana River County, arranged as one would visit these - north to south - with the aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:
Ngao Neukirchen Church, Lake Shakababo, Delta Dunes Lodge, Ozi Conservation Area, Tana River Lodge, Old Town Kipini, Ungwana Bay Ruins, Shaka Ruins, Mwana Ruins, Fumo Liyongo Shrine, Kipini Conservancy, Red Cliff Camp, River Tana Delta, Tana Delta Colonial Forts, Tana Delta Cultural Centre, Tana Primate National Reserve, Mchelelo Bandas, Ndera Conservancy, Mau Mau Hola Monument, Hola Methodist Church, Bura St. Jude, Bura Irrigation Scheme, Bura East Conservancy, Arawale National Reserve, George Adamson's Grave, Kora National Park, Adamson's Fall, Tana River Bridge
Know More About Tana River County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including a distance chart, Airports, Climate & National Monuments
Tana River County has a hot and dry climate with average annual temperatures of 30oC; the highest,41oC, is in January-March and the lowest being 20o C in June-July. Rainfall is low, bi-modal, and erratic.
The land generally sloping eastward, Tana River is all undulating plain that is only interrupted in a few places by low hills – at Bilibil and Bura.