Create an account
Garissa County is in the former North Eastern Province of Kenya. The County is most known for Garissa town which has been bestowed the title of the safest town in Eastern and Central Africa. Its capital town is Garissa. Garissa County has a total population of 623,060. A male population of 334,939 and a female population of 288,121 (census 2009)
Constituencies in Garissa County
1. Garissa Township,
2. Ijara,
3. Dadaab,
4. Lagdera,
5. Fafi
6. Balambala
Economy
Livestock production is a significant part of the county’s economy. Between 2005 and 2007, Garissa cattle producers earned over 1.8 billion shillings in sales in domestic and overseas markets. Construction on a new abattoir also began in October 2007. In terms of livestock imports, most of Garissa’s cattle come from cross-border trade between Somali livestock merchants.
Livestock is a crucial source of financial capital for the rural poor. The arid and semi-arid lands are home to nearly 70% of the national herd with an estimated value of Kenya shillings 70 billion. For many, it is the only form of savings available. Therefore, its efficient production and marketing is essential for sustaining pastoral livelihoods. The existing Garissa livestock market in Garissa town, Garissa County covers a total area of approximately 10 acres. It provides a range of employment and income-earning opportunities to the resident of not only Garissa County but the entire northern region.
Banks with a presence in Garissa include Gulf African Bank situated in Al-Wayf Quran House, the Postbank in the Garissa Shopping Centre, and First Community Bank (FCB) in the Bajwed Building. Other banks with branches in the city include Barclays Bank, Equity Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank,National Bank of Kenya, Chase Bank and Cooperative Bank of Kenya.
Tourism
The dry and arid landscape could be exploited to offer tourism packages that encompass camel-back expeditions and camping activities. The region could also be opened up to dessert rallying activities similar to those carried out in different regions in the world.
The tourism sector is also growing with a number of hotels and resorts coming up. This compliments attractions such as the bour-algy Giraffe Sanctuary and other wildlife that contribute to the county’s tourism industry. The county prides itself in having the only ‘long-necked Gerenuk’ East African.
Boni National Reserve
The Boni National Reserve is a national reserve for conservation and lies in the Garissa County, Kenya.. The general area lies between 40°83′E and 41°66′E and 1°76′S and 1°25′S and covers an area of 133 KM². The area’s climate is heavily influenced by the North-East and South-West monsoons blowing from the Indian Ocean. There are two wet seasons: April to June and October to December, and two dry seasons: The reserve covers an area of 1,339 km2 (517 sq mi)[1] and is managed by Kenya Wildlife Service. It was gazetted in 1976 as a dry season sanctuary for elephants in the former Kenyan Ijara , and Lamu districts and Somalia.
It represent some of the most varied of ecosystems and provide a refuge for endangered mammals like the elephant, hirola and the wild dog, rare species found nowhere else in the world and hundreds of flora and fauna that are still yet to be described.
Wildlife
Common herbivores in the region include hippopotamus, bush pig, warthog, buffalo, common duiker, topi and waterbuck. Common carnivores in the reserve are the vulnerable African Wild Dog and the aardwolf. Although extremely rare, African elephants are also present in the reserve.
Bour – Algy Giraffe Sanctuary
The Garissa Sanctuary giraffe is hosted by Bour-Algy village, south of Garissa town and was set to host internally displaced giraffe that had been affected by the Kenya/Somali border skirmishes. The project is managed by the county government of Garissa.Its name stems from the large presence of giraffes attracted by the abundant acacia trees. The project focuses on the conservation and management of this species that once occupied throughout much of the horn of Africa, but is now, largely confined to Northern Kenya.
Arawale National Reserve
The Arawale National Reserve is a designated conservation area managed by the Garissa County in assistance with the Kenya Wildlife Service. It lies in North Eastern Province of Kenya, 77 km south of the town of Garissa. The reserve covers an area of 53,324 hectares (533 km2; 206 sq mi).[1] To the west, it is bordered by the Tana River and, to the east, by the Garissa-Lamu road. In 1974, the reserve was gazetted as the only in-situ conservation site for the critically endangered Hirola population endemic to north-eastern Kenya and south-west Somalia.
Wildlife
The reserve is a critical refuge for a range of wildlife species including four globally threatened species: Hirola, Gravy Zebra, African Wild Dog and Cheetah. A study commissioned by Terra Nuova in 2006 also showed signs of presence of the African Elephant.[2]
The reserve’s main asset is the hirola or Hunter’s hartebeest (‘Beatragus hunteri’), a slender ungulate with lyre-shaped horns which is called the ‘four-eyed antelope’ for its visible preorbital glands. It can only be found in this region and is critically endangered (only the previous step to extinct in the wild) according to the IUCN red list of threatened species. Only 245 specimens were detected during an air survey conducted in 2010, although the actual population may be somewhat larger. Some hirolas have been translocated to Tsavo East National Park in an effort to save the species.
Oil prospecting company in Garissa County has discovered oil in Garrissa county. Vanoil Energy Company from Canada which has been prospecting for oil in Modogashe area of the Garissa has revealed that huge barrels of oil exist .According to company CEO the deposits will form the largest oil discovery in the country so far. The County now anticipates billions of shillings that could have emanated from oil proceeds. Cement and Gypsum A 2011 research on the regional cement market estimates that consumption grew by 15 per cent to 6.9 million MT across the five countries, with Kenya accounting for over 3.1 million tonnes. Raval Guru, the managing director at National Cement, said there is...
Mr Nathif is a veteran Islamic banker, with more than 30 years of career banking experience covering all aspects of retail, commercial, investment and Islamic banking. He commenced his banking career at Kenya Commercial Bank in the early 80’s before proceeding in 1985 to join Al-Rajhi (Islamic) Bank in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where he held supervisory positions in the bank’s Trade Finance and Treasury departments. In 1991, he joined Qatar Islamic Bank in Doha and worked there until 2002 when he left the bank in the capacity of Executive Manager in-charge of the bank’s huge cross-border investments in International Trade, Securities and Portfolio Management.
In 2002, he joined National Bank of Sharjah in the UAE to help in the conversion of that bank to become a full-fledged Islamic Bank, thereby becoming Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB). He initiated the formation of SIB’s Investment and International Banking Division and was responsible for all structured finance activities including Debt & Equity Finance, Syndications, Mutual Funds and Islamic Bonds (Sukuk). At the time of his return to Kenya in October 2007, he was a Senior Vice President at Sharjah Islamic Bank, and was in charge of the bank’s overall investment portfolio in excess of US$ 600 Million (Kshs. 40 Billion).
He was the main promoter in the establishment of First Community Bank (FCB) and in 2007 he returned to Kenya to initiate FCB which became the first bank to be approved by the Central Bank of Kenya for Sharia Compliant Business. He was the first MD of the bank which has since grown into a successful retail bank with 17 branches across the country in addition to Takaful and Investment banking activities.
Mr. Adam is a distinguished personality in the global Islamic finance fraternity and in March 2012 was crowned as the ‘father of Islamic Banking in Kenya’ at a grand function officiated by the governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, Prof. Njuguna Ndungu.
He has written many papers and articles covering various topical matters relating to the subject. He also co-authored the first book to be written on the subject of Islamic Bonds (Sukuk). The book titled Islamic Bonds: Your Guide to Issuing, Structuring and Investing in Sukuk is published and marketed by Euromoney, UK. He has also been a resource person and a member of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Sukuk Development Task Force.
He is an invited speaker at all major international conferences on Islamic banking and finance and offers training on the subject as a visiting lecturer at a number of reputable international learning institutions.
Mr. Adam has a Masters degree in Islamic Banking, Finance and Management from the University of Gloucestershire. He is an associate of the UK Chartered Institute of Bankers and holds an MBA certificate in International Trade from Heriot-Watt University, Scotland