Turkwel facility

The construction of the facility on the west side of lake Turkana, near Nachechichok on the Turkwel River, started in April 2008. A borehole was sunk and there is ample drinking water that is pumped up to header tanks and gravity fed to the buildings. The power supply and Internet connection are established. Materials such as sand and gravel for making the building blocks were sourced locally and using a cement mixer and brick maker, the blocks for construction were made on site. The mess, student accommodation and the first laboratory buildings were completed just in time for a conference held at TBI Turkwel in August 2009. Since then, two buildings to accommodate staff, a large laboratory and six cottages for visiting senior scientists have been completed. The final stages of construction of the campus including a vehicle maintenance workshop will be complete by the end of 2011.

The cottages for visiting scientists provide spacious and comfortable accommodation with private bathrooms, kitchen area, a large bedroom and verandas on all sides that provide shady locations with good breezes. Dormitory buildings provide comfortable student accommodations.

The Turkwel campus is beautifully situated with spectacular views of the Turkwel river and the surrounding exposures of Pliocene sediments. The conference facilities are designed to facilitate formal and informal sessions. Large groups can work around a conference table and dine together. The verandas provide quiet and shady locations for work sessions and discussions during breaks from the formal program. Large spacious laboratories and classrooms provide for the needs of research scientists and for teaching with the collections. The campus has a large fossil preparation facility with four trained preparators who work all year so that fossils are rapidly made available for scientific study. All buildings have running water, electricity and bathrooms and the lab building has wireless internet access via satellite link. A weather station and differential GPS total station has been installed. Research vehicles, experienced guides and drivers, and equipment for long-term field and fly camps are available.