Borena Zone (Afaan Oromoo: Godina Booranaa) is the southernmost zone of Ethiopia’s Oromia Region, administered from Yabelo and reaching the Kenyan border at Moyale. The 2007 census counted 962,489 people over 45,435 square kilometres, a density of about 21 per square kilometre. Borena is named for the Borana Oromo, and its economy rests on cattle herding across semi-arid rangeland.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Region | Oromia |
| Administrative centre | Yabelo |
| Area (2007 boundaries) | 45,434.97 km2 |
| Population (2007 census) | 962,489 |
| Population density | 21 per km2 |
| Border crossing | Moyale, into Kenya |
Woredas (Districts)
Borena has been reduced twice. The upland woredas were separated in September 2002 to create Guji Zone, and a further group of highland districts went to West Guji Zone when that zone was formed from parts of Borena and Guji. What remains is thirteen pastoralist woredas plus the Yabelo town administration.
| Woreda | 2007 census | 2022 projection |
|---|---|---|
| Arero | 48,126 | 69,309 |
| Dhas | n/a | n/a |
| Dillo | n/a | n/a |
| Dire | 73,401 | 106,761 |
| Dubluk | n/a | n/a |
| El Way | n/a | n/a |
| Gomole | n/a | n/a |
| Guchi | n/a | n/a |
| Miyo | 50,601 | 73,413 |
| Moyale | 31,162 | 43,559 |
| Taltale (Teltele) | 70,501 | 101,846 |
| Wachile | n/a | n/a |
| Yabelo | 102,165 | 154,643 |
Several of these woredas were carved out of larger districts after 2007, so the statistics service publishes no separate census figure for them. Their populations are counted within Arero, Dire, Miyo, Taltale and Yabelo in the 2007 tables.
Major Towns
| Town | 2007 census | 2022 projection |
|---|---|---|
| Moyale | 28,056 | 57,000 |
| Yabelo | 17,497 | 36,300 |
Mega, Dubuluk, Dillo, Teltele, Arero, Bakke and Surupa are the other named settlements, most of them small trading posts and watering centres strung along the highway or the well fields.
Geography
Borena is dry savanna and thorn bush, mostly between 1,000 and 1,700 metres, rising to about 1,850 metres at Yabelo. Rainfall comes in two short seasons and averages under 700 millimetres a year in most woredas. There are no permanent rivers in the interior; the Dawa River runs along the eastern edge. Water comes from the tula deep-well complexes, hand-dug shafts worked in relays by chains of herders, and from ponds and boreholes.
The zone borders Kenya to the south, the South Ethiopia Region to the west, West Guji and Guji zones to the north, and the Dawa Zone of the Somali Region to the east. Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary, north of Yabelo town, protects Stresemann’s bush crow and the white-tailed swallow, two birds found almost nowhere else.
Demographics
The 2007 census recorded 487,024 men and 475,465 women. Afaan Oromoo was the first language of 90.94 per cent of residents, Gedeo of 4.06 per cent and Konso of 2.72 per cent. Protestants made up 47.25 per cent, followers of Borana traditional religion 35.01 per cent, Muslims 9.62 per cent and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians 5.45 per cent. Those shares cover the pre-split zone, including highland districts now in West Guji. Figures published for later years are projections.
Economy & Local Life
Cattle are the centre of Borana life. The Borana breed is one of the best-known indigenous zebu lines in East Africa and is exported live through Moyale and Nagelle. Households also keep camels, goats and sheep, and herd movement follows the rains between wet-season grazing and the dry-season wells. The Gada system, the Borana cyclical system of generational grades and assemblies, still governs rangeland use and dispute settlement, and it is inscribed on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.
Moyale is a customs post and one of Ethiopia’s main land gateways, handling road freight to and from the Kenyan port of Mombasa. Crop farming is limited to the wetter north and to small irrigated plots. Repeated failed rains between 2020 and 2023 killed large numbers of livestock across the zone and pushed many households into aid dependence, and drought recovery remains the dominant local issue.
Getting There
Yabelo sits on the Addis Ababa–Moyale highway, about 570 kilometres from Addis Ababa via Hawassa and Hagere Maryam. The road is asphalt throughout and buses run daily. Moyale is a further 205 kilometres south. Roads to Dillo, Dhas, Arero and Wachile are gravel or earth and can close in the rains. There are no scheduled passenger flights inside the zone; the nearest regular services are at Hawassa and Nagelle.
FAQ
Where is Borena Zone?
Borena Zone is in far southern Oromia, on the Kenyan border, about 570 kilometres south of Addis Ababa by road.
What is the capital of Borena Zone?
Yabelo, a town of about 36,300 people on the 2022 projection, on the Addis Ababa–Moyale highway.
How many woredas are in Borena Zone?
Thirteen rural woredas plus the Yabelo town administration.
What language is spoken in Borena Zone?
Afaan Oromoo, in the Borana dialect, is the first language of about 91 per cent of residents.
What is the Borana Gada system?
A cyclical system of generational grades that sets leadership, law and rangeland management among the Borana Oromo. UNESCO added it to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2016.
How do you cross into Kenya from Borena?
Through the Moyale border post, which links the Ethiopian highway network to the road south toward Marsabit, Isiolo and Nairobi.