Ol Doinyo Orok

The Ol Doinyo Orok mountain (in maasai language), also called Namanga Hills, is situated in southern Kenya next to the Tanzanian border in the Namanga Division. The mountain has a stretched triangular shape, almost like an arrow pointing north. The short side faces the Tanzanian border (and one corner is actually crossing it). The highest peak is 2548 m.

Ol Doinyo Orok Mountain Forest Reserve

The Ol Doinyo Orok Mountain Forest Reserve is a government gazetted area, 117.84 square kilometres large. A large part of it consists of elevated cloud forest (above 1700 m). Being one of the few remaining patches in Kenya, it contains a large variety of plants, herbs and also several animal species not found in the surrounding semi-arid lowlands. In the mountain valleys there are natural water catchments created by the high altitude rains and the high humid climate. These provide the surrounding Maasai communities with water and pasture even during the dry seasons.

The mountain wildlife has been under a lot of stress due to poaching and traditional Maasai hunting, which has wiped out many of the large mammals and predators. But there are still a small population of leopards to be found. Other large animals include buffaloes (in rapidly decreasing number due to poaching), bushbucks, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, rock hyraxes, etc. There are also a large variety of migratory and endemic birds in the area. Very little research has been taken place on the mountain ecology and no scientific animal count has been made on the large animals. The bush savanna vegetation in the surrounding lowlands is also home to animals like giraffes, zebras, gazelles, eland antelopes, warthogs, ostriches, african wild dogs and hyenas, etc. Many of these migrate to the high hills during nighttime or settle there during droughts. Occasionally elephants from Amboseli National Park or Tanzania migrate to the area.

Namanga

Namanga is a town divided by the Tanzania-Kenya border. It is in Longido District, Tazanaia and Kajiado County, Kenya. It is around 110 kilometers from Arusha, Tanzania. Namanga's economy was heavily dependent on tourism until 2004 as tourists visiting the nearby Amboseli National Park passed through the town from Nairobi which is 183 kilometers from Namanga. The town is surrounded by hills from both the Tanzanian side and Kenya. Mount Kilimanjaro can be viewed from Namanga town which makes it a scenic place by tourists who lodge in Namanga on their way to either Tanzania or Amboseli. The nearby Ol Doinyo Orok mountain, also known as Namanga Hills is located northwest of Namanga town. Namanga's longitude is S 2°32'39.8" and longitude E 36°47'20.2". The town has an urban population of approximately 10,000 while the rural population is approximately 5,500.

Economic development

The economy of Namanga has been on the rise as it ceased to depend only on tourism. The town is currently dependent both on tourism and on import and export from both Kenya and Tanzania. With the opening of the East African Community borders, the town will benefit from market of both countries which according to the statistical bureau of Kenya will trigger a population growth of the town to an approximate of 30,000 population. With the recent investment by the financial institutions and the completion of the great north road, the town has grown economical especially in its infrastructure. This development has increased transport activities from the area as it triggered more importation of commodities from Tanzania to Kenya as it is assumed to be cheaper.

Namanga (Tanzanian ward)

Namanga is an administrative ward in the Longido District of the Arusha Region of Tanzania. According to the 2002 census, the ward has a total population of 10,904. Until 2007 it was part of Monduli District.

References

Coordinates: 2°33′S 36°46′E / 2.550°S 36.767°E / -2.550; 36.767

Namanga (disambiguation)

Namanga may refer to: