Soils of semi-arid savanna zone of the north-eastern Kenya : site evaluation report

Abstract

Recent ground observation and study of ERTS imagery, in connection with national programme for country-wide soils mapping at scale 1: 1,000,000, have yielded substantial new information on the nature and distribution of the soils in the savanna-covered semi-arid plains of the North-Eastern Kenya. The findings differ in several aspects from earlier schematic mapping, notably in the near absence of well-drained calcerous soils and the wide extent of saline/alkali soils in the central-eastern section. The origin of the different soils development at the various geomorphologic levels is discussed, in relation to the character of the sediments as well as the quaternary changes in climate. Also, an outline is given of the significance of such exploratory mapping, on physiographic basis, for the sound planning of range management, wildlife conservation and irrigation development in the area.