Garissa

The Tana River, which rises in Mount Kenya east of Nyeri, flows through the 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 119,696 in the 2009 census, which rose to 163,399 in 2019.[1] Most of Garissa's inhabitants are ethnic Somali.[3] These are further sub-divided into clans, with the Daarood sub-clan of the Somali Ogaden especially well represented. There are also a small number of other minority ethnic groups, commonly referred to as corner tribes.

A BP petrol station in downtown Garissa.

Garissa is a market center and the commercial hub of the Garissa County.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6] Other banks with branches in the city include Barclays Bank, Equity Bank,[7] Kenya Commercial Bank,[8] National Bank of Kenya,[9] Chase Bank and Cooperative Bank of Kenya.[10]

Livestock production is a significant part of the town's economy. Between 2005 and 2007, Garissa cattle producers earned over 1.8 billion shillings in sales in domestic and overseas markets. Construction on a new abattoir also began in October 2007.[11] In terms of livestock imports, most of Garissa's cattle comes from cross-border trade between Somali livestock merchants.[12]

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. 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.

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 Ali Bunow Korane.[13] 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.

Several establishments in the city offer accommodation. Among these hotels and guest houses are the Almond Hotel, Xiddig Hotel and Nomad Palace Hotel.[14]

Garissa has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh). 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 33 °C (91 °F) every day, but cools down every night.

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