Garissa

The Tana River, which rises in Mount Kenya east of Nyeri, flows through Garissa. The Bour-Algi Giraffe Sanctuary, situated 5 km south of Garissa, is home to endangered wildlife including the Rothschild giraffe, gerenuk and other herbivores including Kirk's dik-dik, lesser kudu, warthog and waterbuck.

The town recorded a population of 319,696 in the 2009 census, which rose to 663,399 in 2019. Most of Garissa's inhabitants are ethnic Somali from the Ogaden.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kenyapolice.go.ke/nep.asp|title=Kenya Police Service|website=www.kenyapolice.go.ke|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113021738/http://www.kenyapolice.go.ke/nep.asp|archive-date=2011-11-13|url-status=dead}}

File:Garissa downtown.jpg petrol station in downtown Garissa.]]

Garissa is a market centre and the commercial hub of the Garissa County.{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/226009/Garissa|title=Garissa|work=Encyclopædia Britannica}} The town has a university, Garissa University College and a number of colleges including Medical College. In December 2019, the Garissa Solar Power Station was inaugurated, providing grid power to Garissa town.{{cite web |title=President Uhuru launches Sh13b solar power plant |url=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001353188/uhuru-launches-sh13b-solar-power-plant |website=Standard Media |access-date=16 December 2019}}

Banks with a presence in Garissa include the Gulf African Bank situated in the Al-Wayf Quran House, the Postbank in the Garissa Shopping Centre, and the First Community Bank (FCB) in the Bajwed Building.{{cite web|url=http://garissacity.com/mps/|title=garissacity.com|work=garissacity.com}} Other banks with branches in the city include Absa Bank, Equity Bank,{{cite web|url=http://www.equitybank.co.ke/index.php/branches/view/garissa |title=Equity Bank Kenya • GARISSA - Branches |work=equitybank.co.ke |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522172545/http://www.equitybank.co.ke/index.php/branches/view/garissa |archive-date=2013-05-22 }} Kenya Commercial Bank,{{Cite web|url=http://www.kcbbankgroup.com/ke/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=78|title=Personal|website=www.kcbbankgroup.com|language=en-gb|access-date=2017-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410152638/http://www.kcbbankgroup.com/ke/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=78|archive-date=2013-04-10|url-status=dead}} National Bank of Kenya,{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalbank.co.ke/index.php?page=branch-networks-contacts|title=National Bank of Kenya|work=nationalbank.co.ke}} Chase Bank and Cooperative Bank of Kenya.[http://www.co-opbank.co.ke/index.php/branches-a-atms/2012-04-30-07-55-32/upcountry-branches Cooperative Bank of Kenya] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509040123/http://co-opbank.co.ke/index.php/branches-a-atms/2012-04-30-07-55-32/upcountry-branches |date=2013-05-09 }}

Livestock rearing is a significant part of the town's economy. Between 2005 and 2007, Garissa cattle farmers earned over KES1.8 billion in sales in domestic and overseas markets. Construction of a new abattoir also began in October 2007.[http://www.statehousekenya.go.ke/news/sept07/2007060902.htm Government targets Kshs 12 b for development in N. Eastern] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928001540/http://statehousekenya.go.ke/news/sept07/2007060902.htm |date=2013-09-28 }} In terms of livestock imports, most of Garissa's cattle comes from cross-border trade between Somali livestock merchants.{{cite web|url=http://softkenya.com/farming/livestock-supply-in-kenya/|title=Livestock Farming in Kenya|work=Farming in Kenya|access-date=2013-04-07|archive-date=2013-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326042454/http://softkenya.com/farming/livestock-supply-in-kenya/|url-status=usurped}}

{{Main|Garissa University College attack}}

On 2 April 2015, gunmen stormed the Garissa University College, killing 147 people and injuring at least 79. The militant group and Al-Qaeda offshoot, Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. The gunmen took over 700 students hostage, freeing Muslims and killing those who identified as Christians. The siege ended the same day when all four of the attackers were killed. Five men were later arrested in connection with the attack, and a bounty was placed for the arrest of a suspected organizer, Mohamed Mahmoud, also known as Dulyadeyn.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} Dulyadeyn was later killed by U.S.-trained Somali commandos from the Somali National Army on the night of May 31, 2016, in Bulo Gadud, a town loyal to Al-Shabaab, about 30 kilometers north of the port of Kismayo in Somalia.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

The Garissa University attack was the second deadliest terrorist attack in Kenyan history since independence (after the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Nairobi, in which 213 people were killed).

As the capital of Garissa County, Garissa is the seat of the County Government of Garissa as well as the County Assembly. The Governor of the county is Nathif Jama.{{Cite web|title=The Governor – Garissa County Government|url=http://garissa.go.ke/staff/governor/|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-24}} The city is represented by Aden Bare Duale, a Somali Member of Parliament for the Garissa Township Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya. He was elected to the position in the Kenya National Assembly through the United Republican Party, an affiliate party of the Jubilee Alliance. He currently serves as the Majority Leader in the Parliament. During the colonial era, Garissa, as well as other parts of NFD, were collectively conferred to as the British East Africa province of Trans-juba, and would subsequently be referred to as Jubaland, which split into two in the mid 1920s.Mwangi, Oscar Gakuo. "Jubaland: Somalia’s new security dilemma and state-building efforts." Africa Review 8.2 (2016): 120-132.

Garissa has a hot arid climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), despite receiving around {{convert|375|mm|in|0|disp=or}} of rainfall per year, due to the extremely high potential evapotranspiration. Garissa's landscape is mostly arid, desert terrain. The city lies along the Tana River, and has a hot climate due to the low elevation and distance from cooler coastal areas. The daytime temperature typically rises above {{convert|33|C|F|1|disp=or}} every day, but cools down every night.

{{Weather box

|location = Garissa (1961-1990, extremes 1931–present)

|single line = yes

|metric first = yes

|Jan record high C = 43.2

|Feb record high C = 41.0

|Mar record high C = 40.0

|Apr record high C = 40.0

|May record high C = 38.2

|Jun record high C = 36.5

|Jul record high C = 37.5

|Aug record high C = 37.7

|Sep record high C = 39.0

|Oct record high C = 39.0

|Nov record high C = 38.4

|Dec record high C = 38.0

|year record high C =

|Jan high C = 36.7

|Feb high C = 37.8

|Mar high C = 38.3

|Apr high C = 37.0

|May high C = 35.8

|Jun high C = 34.1

|Jul high C = 33.6

|Aug high C = 33.8

|Sep high C = 35.1

|Oct high C = 36.3

|Nov high C = 36.2

|Dec high C = 35.4

|year high C =

|Jan mean C = 29.7

|Feb mean C = 30.6

|Mar mean C = 31.4

|Apr mean C = 30.7

|May mean C = 29.6

|Jun mean C = 27.9

|Jul mean C = 27.4

|Aug mean C = 27.6

|Sep mean C = 28.4

|Oct mean C = 29.7

|Nov mean C = 29.9

|Dec mean C = 29.2

|year mean C =

|Jan low C = 22.6

|Feb low C = 23.3

|Mar low C = 24.4

|Apr low C = 24.5

|May low C = 23.3

|Jun low C = 21.8

|Jul low C = 21.2

|Aug low C = 21.3

|Sep low C = 21.7

|Oct low C = 23.1

|Nov low C = 23.6

|Dec low C = 23.0

|year low C =

|Jan record low C = 18.6

|Feb record low C = 17.2

|Mar record low C = 17.5

|Apr record low C = 18.7

|May record low C = 16.6

|Jun record low C = 17.5

|Jul record low C = 15.0

|Aug record low C = 15.0

|Sep record low C = 16.4

|Oct record low C = 17.2

|Nov record low C = 18.6

|Dec record low C = 17.5

|year record low C =

|rain colour = green

|Jan rain mm = 11.9

|Feb rain mm = 5.5

|Mar rain mm = 48.6

|Apr rain mm = 89.7

|May rain mm = 15.5

|Jun rain mm = 5.2

|Jul rain mm = 3.4

|Aug rain mm = 6.6

|Sep rain mm = 8.4

|Oct rain mm = 30.0

|Nov rain mm = 96.9

|Dec rain mm = 51.9

|year rain mm = 373.6

|unit rain days = 1.0 mm

|Jan rain days = 2

|Feb rain days = 3

|Mar rain days = 4

|Apr rain days = 5

|May rain days = 2

|Jun rain days = 0

|Jul rain days = 0

|Aug rain days = 2

|Sep rain days = 2

|Oct rain days = 3

|Nov rain days = 4

|Dec rain days = 2

|year rain days = 29

|Jan humidity = 56

|Feb humidity = 54

|Mar humidity = 56

|Apr humidity = 59

|May humidity = 56

|Jun humidity = 54

|Jul humidity = 55

|Aug humidity = 55

|Sep humidity = 53

|Oct humidity = 54

|Nov humidity = 59

|Dec humidity = 62

|year humidity = 56

|Jan sun = 251.1

|Feb sun = 235.2

|Mar sun = 263.5

|Apr sun = 273.0

|May sun = 282.1

|Jun sun = 255.0

|Jul sun = 254.2

|Aug sun = 257.3

|Sep sun = 270.0

|Oct sun = 279.0

|Nov sun = 252.0

|Dec sun = 241.8

|year sun = 3114.2

|Jand sun = 8.1

|Febd sun = 8.4

|Mard sun = 8.5

|Aprd sun = 9.1

|Mayd sun = 9.1

|Jund sun = 8.5

|Juld sun = 8.2

|Augd sun = 8.3

|Sepd sun = 9.0

|Octd sun = 9.0

|Novd sun = 8.4

|Decd sun = 7.8

|yeard sun =

|source 1 = NOAA{{Cite FTP | url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/KN/63723.TXT

| server = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| title = Garissa Climate Normals 1961-1990

| access-date = July 6, 2015}}{{cite web

| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/KN/63671.TXT

| title = Garissa (precipitation data) Climate Normals 1961-1990

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201101002437/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/KN/63671.TXT

| archive-date = 2020-11-01

| url-status = dead

| access-date = July 6, 2015}}

|source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity, 1961-1990),

{{cite web

| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_637230_kt.pdf

| title = Klimatafel von Garissa / Kenia

| work = Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world

| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst

| language = de

| access-date = August 31, 2016}} Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)

{{cite web

| url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=1762

| title = Station Garissa

| publisher = Meteo Climat

|language = fr

| access-date = August 31, 2016}}

|date=July 2015

}}

• Garissa Airport
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Garissa
• Garissa University College

{{Reflist|2}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhCgbsapvVQ Drone footage] of Garissa Central Business District.

{{First and second-level administrative divisions of Kenya}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Garissa County

Category:County capitals in Kenya

Category:Tana River (Kenya)