Kenya - The African Great Rift Valley - The Marakwet Escarpment Furrow Irrigation System

The furrows are located on the Marakwet escarpment in Elgeyo Marakwet district in the Kerio valley of Kenya. The valley floor, lying at 1200-metres altitude, is traversed by the Kerio River flowing north towards Lake Turkana. The Marakwet escarpment rises some 1500 meters above the valley floor. Streams descending the Marakwet escarpment supply water to the irrigation furrows. There are two permanent rivers, the Arror in the south and the Embobut further north at a place called Tot. Irrigation occurs along more that 40 kilometres of Marakwet Escarpment from south of Arror north to Tot, on the western side of the Kerio valley in Northern Kenya, and on the northern slopes of the Cherangani plateau in Pokot.