Marsabit’s bold leap: Innovation and sustainability hub unveiled in North Horr

In Turbi, North Horr, a small settlement located 600 kilometres from Nairobi, something remarkable is taking shape. For this windy, dusty region long battered by the harsh realities of climate change—prolonged droughts, sudden floods, and the loss of livestock that sustain entire households—livelihoods have remained painfully fragile.

But now, a visionary project is coming up: The Desert Stars Innovation and Sustainability Hub.

Its impact reaching far beyond Marsabit County, the hub is expected to unlock opportunities for young people from the entire Northern region and beyond, a much-needed beacon of hope in this region.

In addition, the Hub is expected to train livestock farmers and agropastoral communities on smart farming methods to overcome the ravages of climate change.

When leaders, elders, and community members gathered for the ground-breaking ceremony, the atmosphere carried hope.

“We are breaking ground for possibilities. We are striking the rock so that water may flow for a new generation—not in pipes alone, but in skills, ideas, jobs, and hope,” said Marsabit Governor Mohamud M. Ali.

North Horr Member of Parliament Wario Adhe, the visionary behind the project, called the Hub a leap of imagination for a region hungry for new pathways.

“This is about inspiring my people that we can dream big,” he told the crowd. “The Hub will create job opportunities for our young people and equip our farmers to adopt smart farming practices that cushion them from climate change. A bold new North Horr will emerge.”

A Hub born from the desert’s challenges

The Desert Stars Hub is built around two ideas that are quietly transforming some of the toughest environments in the world: innovation and sustainability.

Under its innovation pillar, the Hub will introduce digital literacy, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and other emerging technologies—tools that can connect a young person in Turbi to opportunities across the world.

It will nurture small enterprises, digital jobs, and new thinking rooted in both technology and the northern frontier’s culture of resilience.

But it is the sustainable agriculture pillar that may prove most transformative. With the support of Ben Gurion University of Israel—a global leader in dryland agriculture—the Hub will train learners in precision farming, water-harvesting science, smart livestock systems, and data-driven agriculture adapted to ASAL environments.

“Israel is as dry as this region. Perhaps even drier. However, through innovation, we have found a way to feed ourselves and millions of people across the world. This is a success story that can be replicated here,” said Prof Yaron Ziv from School of Sustainability and Climate Change, University of Ben Gurion in Negev (BGU), Israel.

Prof. Yaron led a multidisciplinary delegation of experts in ecology, life sciences, climate change, soil science and dryland agriculture from BGU who are keen to assist communities in Marsabit to thrive within their environment.

The Desert Stars is also expected to benefit from Israel’s globally recognised leadership in technology and innovation. Representing this ecosystem during the ground-breaking ceremony was Itai Bass, VP Business Development of CommuniTake Technologies, a leading provider of mobility management and cybersecurity technologies across the world.

Mr. Bass also attended in his capacity as a representative of Rotary Afeka AvivTek Club, Israel, the only Rotary Club dedicated exclusively on innovation and technology in the world.  

“This innovative idea deserves our support. I will not only rally my tech community to support this but also my network of Rotary International across the world as we seek to exchange knowledge, technology and best-practices,” said Mr Bass.

For pastoralist communities who have lost herds to drought, “climate-smart” is not a buzzword. It is survival. Graduates from the Hub are expected to design solutions for livestock disease surveillance, disaster preparedness, rangeland restoration, and environmental stewardship.

Adano Wario, a local pastoralist farmer who lost over 80 percent of his livestock herd during the recent drought dubbed the worst in 40 years, is optimistic that the Hub will equip farmers like him with knowledge to cope the vagaries of climate change.

“This is exactly what our region needs - innovative ideas that will enable communities to survive and thrive,” he said.

The Hub’s location along the Marsabit–Moyale highway is no accident. It sits at a crossroads of communities—Boran, Gabra, Rendille, and others—places where livelihoods often intersect and sometimes collide.

“I am glad that this Hub is strategically located in Turbi to serve all corners of Marsabit—North Horr, Moyale, Saku, and Laisamis,” Governor Mohamud noted. “When livelihoods grow across boundaries, the incentive to protect peace grows with them.”