Tana River District

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Tana River District is a district of Coast Province, Kenya. It is named after the Tana River itself. It has an area of 38,446 kilometers and a population of 180,901 according to the 1999 census. The district capital is Hola (sometimes called as Galole).

The major ethnic groups are the Pokomo, many of who are farmers, and the Orma and Wardey, who are predominantly nomadic. The district is generally dry and prone to drought. Rainfall is erratic, with rainy seasons in March-May and October-December. Conflicts have occurred between farmers and nomadic peoples over access to water. Flooding is also a regular problem, caused by heavy rainfall in upstream areas of the Tana River.

Despite large area of the Tana River district, its only local authority is Tana River County Council. The district is divided into seven divisions: Garsen, Galole (Hola), Bangale, Madogo, Bura, Wenje and Kipini.

The district has three constituencies: Garsen, Galole and Bura.

Tana River district presents an interesting case of the nexus between conflict and food security. A recent survey prepared by ALMRP, Tana River District and presented to the Tana River District Steering Group (2004) found that the district is 79% food insecure and with an incidence of poverty at 62% (Interim Poverty Strategy Paper (I-PSP), 2000-2003, Kenya). Tana River district comprises several areas of forest, woodland and grassland which are minor centres of endemism. The forests are designated National Reserve status if they have >4 plant endemics and >7 vertebrate endemics (IUCN, 2003). Despite the apparent adequate natural resources, the region remains marginalised from the rest of the country. Efforts at development always seem to centre around the huge River Tana, despite massive failures in all the previous irrigation projects in the district i.e. Bura, Hola and the Tana delta rice irrigation project which failed after the water works were damaged by the el nino rains in 1998.