The Turkana camel is the smallest camel breed in Kenya. It is named after the Turkana community that keeps it and is native to eastern Kenya, specifically Turkana County, but it also inhabits parts of West Pokot, Baringo, and Samburu counties. This breed is highly adapted to rough terrain and extreme drought. In addition to milk and meat, the Turkana community traditionally uses camel blood as food for the young and elderly.
Turkana camels have dark brown hairs with long hair along the backline and hump. Their average height at the withers is 1.79 meters, abdominal girth 2.25 meters, and hump circumference 1.21 meters. Mature camels weigh between 250 and 500 kg.
They produce 1–2.5 liters of milk per day, with lactation lasting about one year. Camels reach first calving at 5 to 6 years. They require around 7 hours of grazing per day, which is less than the Gabbra or Rendille camels.
Turkana camels are the hardiest of all Kenyan breeds. They are very agile, able to climb steep lava hills due to their small body size, and are least affected during feed scarcity. However, they have the lowest milk yield among Kenyan camel breeds and mature later than larger breeds.