Turkwel – December 5, 2025 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
Turkwel has officially joined the list of areas in Turkana with a formal Physical and Land Use Plan after residents endorsed a draft proposal during a public engagement forum.
The milestone is expected to fast-track the transformation of the area from a predominantly rural locality into a fully-fledged urban centre in the coming years.
The validation exercise was led by the County Government through the Department of Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Areas Management, and attended by community leaders, representatives of the National Land Commission (NLC), the area Member of the County Assembly (MCA), and the County Assembly Committee on Lands.
The plan has a 30.2-square-kilometre area—from the intersection of the Kospir and Turkwel rivers to Lolupe Primary School—earmarked for zoning and structured development.
The plan proposes an urban centre with a stadium, agricultural farms along the riverbanks, flood-buffer zones, an airstrip, designated residential areas, and well-demarcated public spaces to guide orderly growth.
The County Executive Committee Member for Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Areas Management, Faith Aletea, said her department is concurrently developing similar plans for Nanam, Lorengkippi and other emerging centres before the end of the current financial year.
She acknowledged the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Union as instrumental in facilitating the planning process, and urged the County Assembly to allocate more funding to strengthen land governance systems.
Area MCA Steven Edukon welcomed the draft Plan, saying it was time for Turkwel to embrace structured development and evolve beyond its current status.
Hon. Edukon, who also serves as Leader of Majority, emphasized the need for sustained public awareness and stakeholder engagement to help residents understand the implications of the plan on their livelihoods and land ownership systems.
“Turkwel is one of the few areas in Turkana with authentic agricultural products. I am satisfied that the plan preserves agricultural zones and provides spaces for pastoralists. These are traditions we must maintain,” he said.
The Deputy Speaker Hon. Gilbert Topos, speaking on behalf of the County Assembly Committee on Lands, commended the completion efforts of the draft, urging, the county to use the plan as a tool for resource mobilization.
“This plan brings the area closer to qualifying for land titles. It should now be used to attract resources and development for the benefit of local residents,” he said.
Topos echoed the call by other MCAs to ensure that more centres eligible for status upgrades benefit from similar planning processes going forward.
Local community leader John Echakan welcomed the plan and encouraged residents to embrace urbanization, describing it as a positive step toward elevating the area’s development status.
The community leader also called for careful implementation to avoid challenges experienced in other growing towns and municipalities across the country.
Other speakers at the forum included Chief Officers Leah Losiru (Lands and Physical Planning), Peter Lomorukai (Urban Areas Management), Director of Survey Joseph Egiron, NLC County Coordinator Mark Ewesit, Sub-County Administrator Jackson Apenyu, and local village administrators.
