Loolel Kookoi: The Great Commander (Turkana community)

The Turkana community’s contribution to Kenya’s independence is immeasurable and unequalled, but unfortunately, this has never been recognised. Before the nineteenth century, the Turkana had a large army and commanded such great respect among their pastoral neighbours that they always provided the Paramount Chief. Their army was tailored for pastoral raids and predatory expansion that suited their social and physical environment. Turkana is situated in the semi-arid region of northern Kenya.

It is believed that Loolel Kookoi was born in late 1880s near Kokuro at the banks of Lomogol River. Kookoi grew up to be a steadfast kid and showed leadership prowess at an early age. Through apprenticeship, he learnt great skills of being a great raiding warrior, and acquired knowledge of seer-ship and Turkana medicine. He had great role models; before him there had been charismatic great diviners such as Lokerio and Lokorijam, who had performed the vital service of giving the Turkana a renewed focus of identity, based on their overall coordination of military affairs. Kookoi grew to be an admired battle veteran and respected medicine man. With these skills he was able to unite all the Turkana people from Nadapal to Katilu.

The greatest test for Loolel Kookoi came with the British colonial army intrusion of North Turkana. This happened at a time when the Turkana people were experiencing a rivalry among their diviner-cum-military leaders. Kookoi had to step up his game. Embarking to reassert his leadership over military affairs, Kookoi intensified the Turkana resistance to the British intrusion.

Of the two skills; art of war and art of medicine, Kookoi became legendary because of his military exploits aided by his warrior friends and age mates. The Turkana army campaigns of 1910 to 1917 saw one of the most important fighting forces in Kenya emerge; it was known as the Ng’iruru under the command of Kookoi, Nathura and Ebei respectively. Parts of the force came to be known as Ng’ika-Kookoi’ ‘Ng’ika-Nathura’ and Ng’ika-Ebei’ – meaning those of Kookoi, those of Nathura and those of Ebei. By this time, the name Ng’iruru had come to designate a hard core battle veteran, a-well-trained opponent to the British rule upon whom Kookoi, Ebei and Nathura could depend when forming a military expedition. By the end of 1917, Kookoi was able to mobilize between 4,000 to 5,000 men to defend Lomogol River which was a strategic striking pad for the British army.

The British military expeditions of 1910-1915 were resisted by Kookoi fighters forcing the British in 1918 to launch one of the largest punitive military expeditions they had ever conducted on an indigenous people. This was meant to neutralize the Turkana military power- it was code-named Labur patrol.

A combined force of 5000 troops drawn from Sudan, the King’s African Rifles, and fighters from groups antagonistic to the Turkana, launched an operation that led to deaths, confiscation of livestock and the scattering of people across borders, to Samburu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Laikipia, Cherengany and other areas along the northern hemisphere of Kenya and beyond. That's how Turkana people found themselves scattered in different places in Marsabit, Samburu, Trans Nzoia, Isiolo, Baringo, Meru and Laikipia counties.

Bowing not to surrender, Kookoi was forcefully arrested by the British soldiers, chained and marched to an unknown prison at the Kenyan coast believed to be either Kismayu or Manda Island. Loolel Kookoi never to be seen again.

Bonus Information:
Water is essential for our planet. It is vital for people and wildlife – it needs careful management because there’s not always enough to go around. Like Loolel Kookoi we should be relentless to save what is important to our well-being. Turkana County is famed for Lake Turkana, the world's largest permanent desert lake. The lake is also the world's largest alkaline lake. The lake is rich in fish and is a source of sustenance and economic wellbeing to the local community. It is important to take measures to ensure that our lakes and water bodies remain to serve future generations.