By Abdullahi Jamaa
Well then, when you talk about Wajir, myriad things pop into your mind: the soaring poverty, the crumbling third-worldliness and more badly the infamous bucket-latrine. In broad strokes, these negativities summed up the world of the land of sand- albeit unfairly.
Wajir is obviously not a Disneyland; it is a remote hamlet where life is sleepy and more boring than waking up to the realities of surviving in the not- so-safe Nairobi. Whether or not Wajir is a safe place to live is not a question, in fact it is the safest in east and central Africa that you can easily pull your sleeping mat beside the sandy roads at dead hours of the night.
Well then let’s explore the seven things you don’t know about Wajir.
- Plenty of Sand
In every alleyway of Wajir there is sand, in every road there is soil and in every home there is fresh earth. It may not be fertile for agricultural farming, but sand is easily and readily available. The evening offers the best time to enjoy the comfort of the natural soft sand.
You can sit Orahey ground and watch the town from a distance; it is so lively and cooling. But please don’t come with your bulldozers, the people of Wajir do not encourage sand harvesting, because erosion will mean an escalation of climate change.
- Acacia tree
The acacia tree is plenty in wajir. The vegetation here usually consists of a mixture of bushes and bushy trees and extensive areas of grassland where the acacia astoundingly rises above every other tree.
There are so many acacias lineup everywhere. The best places to see are schools. Most primary and secondary schools of Wajir enjoy acacia’s natural shades- Township primary is the nearest.
Unfortunately, the local populations are not aware that this tree and many others are a natural resource which has to be safeguarded.
- Orahey Wells
In Wajir, one of the most outstanding attraction sites is Orahey wells located in the heart of the old town. The wells that are located a few meters from the main trading centers are a plain sailing from one-two-three luxurious hotels that are cropping up in the promising district.
Looking from far, the wells appear like a plain barren landmass, a desolate red desert with few patches of unprotected acacia trees surrounding the dusty earth, seemingly meeting the horizon with skies bereft of clouds.
It is also a place where the first shining rays of the desert sun hits straight into the sandy earth. Orahey is a Somali word which means the place with a lot of sun.
4.World War II Legacy
Wajir was one of the desert military stations where the Italian Caproni bombers put up a defensive military operation to dislodge the advancement of the British forces in 1940.
The Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito) in East Africa adopted a defensive posture against the strong British counter-attack. They constructed trenches and bunkers in a number of places in Wajir. Today, a gun turret –also called a trench bunker – used by the Italians during World War 11 is clearly visible in Orahey wells.
- Pastoral Lifestyle of Wajir
Wajir County is one of the few remaining outposts in Africa where ancient pastoralism is widely practiced. Pastoralism is getting extinct in these modern times, but Wajirians have stood by their camels, goats and cattle. In the hinterland particularly, many families are still following their herds as means of livelihood.
- The Lion Hill
If probably you haven’t crossed north into Bute, you haven’t seen the roaring lion engraved as a mountain. I have personally stood near and far from it; the best moment can be captured if you stand about 200 meters away from the mountain- there you see a lazily sitting lion.
- The Wagalla Masacre
Yes, in this list it is a bad mention but it is a reality you must know about Wajir. In February 1984 Kenyan security personnel rounded men from the Degodia clan holding them for several days before many succumbed to death.
In our diaries Wajir lost thousands of men: fathers, brothers, husbands and uncles. The story of Wagalla reignites fresh wounds among many families today; it will be forever hedged in their brains and hearts- sad reality.
