Science and Sustainability: Inside TBI’s Illeret Campus

On the remote eastern edge of Lake Turkana, at the corner of Marsabit County and a stone throw from the Ethiopian boarder lies the Turkana Basin Illeret campus. Quiet yet full of discovery, experimentation, and purpose. The land itself is raw and beautiful with plants that have been growing for thousand of years. Built in 2016 and powered entirely by solar energy, the campus is more than just a research outpost. Here, researchers and students, from different parts of the world come to sift through layers of earth and history.
The campus can host about 70 people at a time and is well equipped with amenities and a strong sense of community.

Visitors have found a rhythm while in Illeret. Field work in the mornings before the glaring sun and high temperatures kick in, lab in the afternoons and dinner under the stars. On a good day, someone unearths a fossil fragment and passes it around. Under the guidance of researchers, students learn how to use a telescope, analyze rocks and understand geology, recognize microfauna remains, and work with tools to preserve fragile fossils among other experiences. Many students handle fossils for the first time. “I never imagined I’d be touching history,” one of them said. For those who join for work, share how Illeret has taught them patience, teamwork, and the beauty of the land.

Yet the work at Illeret isn’t limited to fossils. Just down the path from the labs, another kind of digging takes place, this time in soil beds and hydroponic towers. The TBI-Illeret farm is redefining what is possible in Kenya’s drylands. Started with a few experimental units and a big vision, the farm now combines cone gardens, sunken beds, and modern vertical systems like A-frames and PVC towers to produce everything from spinach and water melons to basil and cabbage. The poultry unit runs a full cycle from incubation to fresh eggs and meat, making the campus largely self-sufficient in basic food supplies.

Behind this success on the farm is a small but committed team led by Ayub James, working alongside assistants, gardeners, and volunteers from the local community. In just a few months, the farm produced over 7,000 eggs and more than 630 kilograms of vegetables. But the numbers only tell part of the story. In a region where leafy greens can cost up to Ksh 100 per kilogram, this effort is also about empowerment. It’s a living classroom for local youth, women, and volunteers, many of whom are discovering for the first time that desert farming is not only possible, but promising. Technologies like the zaipit beds are helping make use of the area’s salty water, while innovations in soil use and garden design are ensuring the farm remains fully sustainable.

What binds these two worlds, fossil science and food systems is a deep respect for the land, community and a belief in shared progress. Outreach activities like the mobile health clinic and community events root the campus in its surroundings, merging scientific research with community support and giving back.

At Illeret, time stretches in every direction. From million-year-old footprints discovered near lake Turkana to the kale harvest on the farm. Whether you arrive as a student, scientist, or curious visitor, one thing is clear, you’ll leave with a renewed sense of what it means to belong to both history and the future.