Wajir ( so, Wajeer) is the capital of the

Wajir County Wajir County is a counties of Kenya, county in the former North Eastern Province (Kenya), North Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Wajir. The county has a population of 720,000 and an area of . The county is bordered to t ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. It is situated in the former North Eastern Province.

History

A cluster of

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

s near Wajir are generally ascribed by the local inhabitants to the Maadiinle, a semi-legendary people of high stature, who are associated with the Somali. A. T. Curle (1933) reported the excavation of two of these large

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...

, finding traces of skeletal remains which crumbled at his touch, as well as

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

shards and a

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

ring. I.M. Lewis
"132. The So-Called 'Galla Graves' of Northern Somaliland", ''Man''
61 (1961), p. 103. Lewis cites an earlier report by Curle, "Prehistoric graves in the Northern Frontier Province of Kenya Colony," ''Man'', 1933, p. 102; Wajir was attacked by Italian forces in World War II. The infamous

Wagalla massacre The Wagalla massacre was a massacre of ethnic Somalis by the Kenyan Army on 10 February 1984 in Wajir County, Kenya. Daniel arap Moi opened barracks near Wagalla, where he brought soldiers to 'discipline the villagers irrespective of age'. Mas ...

is one of the greatest transitional justice issues in Kenya today committed by government in 1984 in the Wajir. The army rounded up Somali men of the Degodia clan from their homes in the wee hours of the morning of 10th February and held them up at the local airstrip for four days without water and food.The security men opened fire at them and their bullet-ridden bodies scattered across the airstrip and in its bushy environs.

Overview

Wajir is located in an arid area prone to drought. It sits at a latitude and longitude of . (Latitude:1.75000; Longitude:40.05000). The town is served by

Wajir Airport Wajir Airport is an international airport in Wajir County, Kenya. Location Wajir Airport is located in Wajir town. Traditionally inhabited by ethnic Borana and later Somalis, the area lies near the Jubbada Hoose region of southern Somalia. B ...

, with flights to

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

Galkacyo Galkayo ( so, Gaalkacyo, ar, جالكعيو Dr Badal Kariye Ba Bsit Ma Mba & Phd, ''The Kaleidoscopic Lover: The Civil War in the Horn of Africa & My Itinerary for a Peaceful Lover'', (AuthorHouse: 2010), p.116.) which in Af- Somali translates t ...

and

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

Demographics

Wajir is mainly inhabited by Somalis, The 2019 census reported a total population of 90,116 inhabitants.

Climate

Wajir has a

hot arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''BWh'').

Administrative divisions

Wajir is the capital of the

. The county is subdivided into 6 Constituency (

Wajir East Constituency Wajir East Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of six constituencies in Wajir County. The constituency has 10 wards, all electing councillors to the Wajir County Council. The constituency was established for the 1966 electi ...

Wajir West Constituency Wajir West Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of six constituencies in the northeastern Wajir County. The constituency has 12 wards, all electing councillors to the Wajir County Council. It was established for the 1966 ele ...

Wajir North Constituency Wajir North Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , ...

Wajir South Constituency Wajir South Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. Wajir South is one of the six constituencies in Wajir County Wajir County is a county in the former North Eastern Province of Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Wajir. The co ...

Tarbaj Constituency Tarbaj is a List of constituencies of Kenya, constituency in Kenya. It is one of six constituencies in Wajir County. References

Constituencies in Wajir County {{Kenya-geo-stub ...

and

Eldas Constituency Eldas is a constituency in Kenya. It elects one MP to the National Assembly. History During the 2022 Kenyan general election General elections are scheduled to be held in Kenya on 9 August 2022. Voters will elect the President of Kenya, ...

. These constituencies are represented by Members of Parliament in the National Assembly. The county has a total of 30 wards.

References

External links

Location of Wajir
At

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

wajir county news website
{{Coord, 1.75000, N, 40.0500, E, display=title Populated places in Wajir County County capitals in Kenya