West Pokot plans to market itself as a tourism destination through boat racing on Turkwel Dam.
Despite the dam displacing hundreds of residents in the late 1980s and posing several challenges such as crocodile invasion on their animals and mosquito infestation, residents living around the dam in West Pokot have set up measures to reverse this through boats.
The dam has been under-utilised despite being on the biggest man-made lake in the northern region.
The ride into the dam gives one a view of the Riting Hills among several others.
The Turkwel dam is also home to a State lodge. The county government is in talks with concerned authorities to own it since it has been left un used for long.
Along the Turkwel gorge also lies the Nasolot Game Reserve that hosts the biggest black elephants in the world plus the Nasolot Hill.
But now residents living near Turkwel Dam are set for a major boost in business following the issuance of boats by area Governor John Lonyang’apuo.
He said the vessels are expected to substantially promote economic activities in the area.
Mr Joel Lokomol, a boat rider, says the lake has been a blessing to them as they have graduated from canoes to buying motor engine that has seen him feed his family, noting several people visit the dam and they always part with a fee to go around the shores.
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