The Turkwel River (sometimes spelled Turkwell River) is a river flowing from
Mount Elgon
Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda. on the border of
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
and
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
to
Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana (), formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, in northern Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. B ...
. The river is called the Suam River from its source to the border at
West Pokot County of Kenya. The name Turkwel is derived from the
Turkana name for the river, ''Tir-kol'', which means a river that "withstands the wilderness". The Turkwel begins on the lush green slopes of
Mount Elgon
Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda. and the
Cherangani Hills, then traverses the
Southern Turkana Plains
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
, crosses the
Loturerei Desert near
Lodwar
Lodwar is the largest town in north-western Kenya, located west of Lake Turkana on the A1 road. Its main industries are basket weaving and tourism. The Loima Hills lie to its west. Lodwar is the capital of Turkana County. The town has a popul ...
and empties into the world's largest desert lake,
Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana (), formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, in northern Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. B ...
.
The river's flow is seasonally varied, and it is subject to flash floods in the rainy season.
The controversial
Turkwel Dam
The Turkwel Hydroelectric Power Station, also Turkwel Dam, is an arch dam on the Turkwel River about north of Kapenguria in West Pokot County, Kenya. The dam serves several purposes to include hydroelectric power production, irrigation tourism an ...
was built by the Kenyan government from 1986 to 1991 with the help of France. The plan was to harness the waters of the Turkwel. The project was initially supposed to cost
KSh.4 billion/=, but ended up costing more than KSh.20 billion/=. The dam partially filled the Turkwel Gorge and created the Turkwel Gorge Reservoir.
References
Rivers of Kenya
Mount Elgon
Tributaries of Lake Turkana
West Pokot County
{{Kenya-river-stub