20/04/2026
This is the Northern Ewaso Ng’iro
A river of brown waters and a lifeline across Kenya’s harshest landscapes.
It begins at Thome village in Nanyuki, where two rivers meet, the Naromoru from Mount Kenya and the Ngarinyiru from the Aberdare Range. From this simple confluence, a powerful journey begins.
Fed by the glaciers of Mount Kenya, the river flows for nearly 700 kilometers cutting across Laikipia County, Samburu County, Isiolo County, Wajir County, Marsabit County and Garissa County linking fertile highlands to some of the driest parts of the country.
Near its upper reaches, the river nourishes Lake Ol Bolossat, the only lake in Nyandarua County and a vital freshwater ecosystem in Central Kenya. Here, in the cool highlands, life feels abundant and balanced.
As the river moves downstream, the story changes.
The Ewaso Ng’iro creates green corridors in the middle of arid wilderness drawing wildlife in great numbers. This is why Samburu National Reserve, Shaba National Reserve and Buffalo Springs National Reserve thrive, where survival would otherwise be impossible.
Further downstream, near Saricho, the river slows and spreads into the vast Lorian Swamp, one of Kenya’s largest wetlands, sustaining both wildlife and local communities in an otherwise unforgiving environment.
Its journey doesn’t end there.
In rare, powerful seasons, its waters continue beyond Kenya flowing into Somalia where they join the Jubba River becoming part of a much larger East African river system.
The river is strengthened by tributaries like the Ewaso Narok, home to the breathtaking Thomson's Falls.
But beyond nature, the Ewaso Ng’iro carries history. After independence, the lands along its basin shifted from colonial ownership to local communities. Since then, it has become the backbone of small scale farming and pastoral life supporting livelihoods across its vast catchment.
Water from the upper regions is heavily used for agriculture, leaving less for the dry lands downstream. Climate change only deepens this divide, making the river both a source of life and a source of struggle.
Northern Ewaso Ng’iro it’s a bridge between landscapes, a source of life and a story of survival for wildlife and humans alike.
