Loriu Plateau is an elevated Precambrian bedrock exposure at the southwest margin of Lake Turkana in Kenya . The plateau is only seasonally habitable due to aridity and was once home to fauna otherwise rare in Turkana. Loriu is west of and adjacent to the Barrier Volcano at the southernmost portion of Lake Turkana.
10-496: Loriu is bounded by Lake Turkana to the east, Kapedo to the south, the Kerio River to the west, and Kerio River delta to the north. The plateau is 64 kilometers running from north to south, approximately 8 kilometers wide, and is capped by Tertiary volcanic lava flows. The western margin of Loriu rises gradually while the eastern margin is defined by a fault scarp more than 366 meters high in some locations. The maximum altitude of
20-404: A heterogeneous plant community with acacia trees , bush and sparse grassland. Portions of the plateau are too steep for vegetation. The Precambrian basement rock biotite-gneisses that form the underlying structure of Loriu were exposed during the plateau's formation through up faulting and tilting of the basement rock. These layers are clearly visible and form a major part of the stratigraphy of
30-630: Is a 5-hour drive from Nakuru town. Administratively, it is headed by a chief (National Government), to be assisted by a village administrator (recruited by the County Government of Turkana). The village lies to the West of Mount Silale on the floor of the Great Rift Valley at the head of the Suguta Valley . The Suguta River emanates from hot springs just east of the village, and is joined by
40-646: Is limited mostly due to the defunct hydro-electric power plant that has been desolate for years since the departure of the Finnish missionaries. The 'mission' coined for the Kapedo Mixed Primary School, Hospital, Full Gospel Church, the garage and the guest house were heavily hit after the redundancy of the HEP project. Due to insecurity from the neighboring Pokot community from Tiaty sub-county in Baringo county, and being
50-518: Is very little agricultural land, so the people mainly depend on raising goats, and sheep. Conflicts create risk in herding. The village is home to four learning institutions: Kapedo Mixed Boarding Primary School, Kapedo Girls Primary School, Lomelo Primary and the Kapedo Mixed Secondary School, which was built by the late former MP Francis Ewoton Achuka in 2002 and has a staff of eight, mostly BOM teachers over 180 pupils. The capacity of
60-603: The Mugor scarp on the eastern edge of the plateau. Because of the gradual slope of the western plateau, Loriu is most likely not a horst . Lavas capping Loriu are dated to the Pliocene , according to the East African Geological Research Unit. These lavas are primarily aphyric basalts , are grayish in color, trachytic in texture and composed of olivine . Other basalts contain olivine and pyroxene phenocrysts . To
70-578: The Suguta River flowing from the West and drains to the North. The village, occupied by Turkana people, is in a hot semi-desert area. Most houses are semi-permanent, made of iron sheets on the roof and mud on the walls. There are also houses made of mud and palm leaves. However, due to the prospective LAPPSET, the village has a number of permanent houses. Kapedo is a trading center with a few shops selling basic goods such as flour, tea, sugar and kerosene. There
80-462: The plateau is 1,463 meters. The Turkana basin was previously home to a great diversity and number of animal species, many of which became the basis for names of both places and people in the region. A number of wild animals no longer found in the wider Turkana Basin, including oryx , greater kudu and ostrich , were found in the Loriu Plateau during early expeditions by outsiders. Loriu includes
90-481: The school is much higher but few students can afford even the modest fees. As of 2011, the Kapedo Sub-County Hospital had 28 beds and four cots. It provided in-patient and out-patient services related to maternity, HIV and tuberculosis. Insecurity from the neighboring Pokot has rendered the facility an in-patient only and emergency cases are referred to Nakuru or Eldoret. Kapedo has high potential but it
100-567: The west are a few mafic porphyritic basalts and possibly older Miocene basalts cut by dykes and faults. Olivine nephelinite has been collected near these basalts. The southern margin of Loriu is also bounded by a major volcanic group around the Lomi caldera. Kapedo Kapedo is a trading center in the Turkana East sub-county of Turkana County, in Kenya 's former Rift Valley Province . It
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