Garissa - Historical Timeline - Orbitrock

2024 - Garissa remains strategically important due to its border with Somalia and the presence of Dadaab refugee camps. Counterterrorism, refugee management, and drought resilience remain the region's central challenges.

2022 - Garissa continues facing insecurity from al-Shabaab raids and local clan disputes. At the same time, development projects expand roads, electricity, and education access.

2020 - Al-Shabaab attacks a U.S.-Kenya military base in nearby Lamu, raising fears of further spillover into Garissa. Security operations across Garissa are stepped up.

2017 - Garissa struggles with recurring droughts, livestock deaths, and famine risk. The Dadaab refugee camp population remains high, sparking debates over repatriation and closure.

2015 - The Garissa University College Attack occurs, one of Kenya's deadliest terrorist incidents. Al-Shabaab gunmen storm the campus, killing 148 people, mostly students. The massacre shocks Kenya and the world, placing Garissa at the center of the fight against extremism.

2013 - Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi highlights the reach of al-Shabaab. Security operations in Garissa intensify; residents complain of harassment and ethnic profiling.

2012 - Churches in Garissa town are attacked by gunmen, killing over a dozen people and wounding many. Al-Shabaab-linked militants are suspected.

2011 - Kenya launches Operation Linda Nchi in Somalia against al-Shabaab. In retaliation, Garissa becomes a target for terrorist attacks and incursions. Security is tightened, but incidents increase.

2007 - Post-election violence affects Kenya. Garissa avoids much of the direct violence, but tensions rise due to political marginalization and underdevelopment.

1998 - After the U.S. Embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Garissa becomes increasingly securitized, with counterterrorism operations intensifying in the Somali-populated regions.

1995 - Garissa grows as a trade hub, with livestock markets linking it to Somalia. However, insecurity remains high due to banditry, clan conflicts, and porous borders.

1991 - Collapse of Somalia leads to large refugee flows into Garissa County. The Dadaab refugee complex (established earlier in 1991) expands to become one of the largest refugee camps in the world.

1984 - The Wagalla Massacre in neighboring Wajir (linked historically with Garissa's Somali communities). Hundreds, possibly thousands, of ethnic Somalis are killed by Kenyan security forces during counterinsurgency operations. Survivors in Garissa also face intimidation and repression.

1980 - The Garissa Massacre occurs. After the killing of a local official, security forces round up and confine thousands of ethnic Somalis in Garissa. Reports indicate mass killings, rape, and torture. This leaves deep scars and fuels long-standing grievances.

1967 - The Shifta War concludes after four years of conflict marked by harsh government crackdowns, curfews, and collective punishment in Garissa. Thousands of civilians suffer displacement and casualties.

1963 - The Shifta War (armed secessionist conflict) breaks out in Garissa and other NFD districts. Somali insurgents, supported by Mogadishu, wage a guerrilla war against Kenyan forces. The conflict is marked by harsh government crackdowns, curfews, and collective punishment in Garissa. Thousands of civilians suffer displacement and casualties.

1963 - Kenya attains independence. Despite local opposition, Garissa and the wider NFD remain part of Kenya. This sparks resentment and secessionist sentiment.

1960 - As Kenya approaches independence, Britain holds a commission of inquiry on whether the NFD (including Garissa) should join Somalia. The majority of locals express their wish to unite with Somalia.

1925 - Garissa begins as a small colonial outpost under British rule in the Northern Frontier District (NFD). It becomes an administrative center for the predominantly ethnic Somali population in the region.