In this article, we provide a review of research on the existing and abandoned wells in Marsabit County, Northern Kenya, and associated Indigenous Knowledge concerning water governance, institutions of leadership, and how these have contributed to sustaining a resilient pastoral economy in these harsh landscapes. The article discusses the socio‐ecological systems that have been maintained by pastoralists for generations, linking their sustainability to leadership structures and institutional memory, with a particular focus on the Gabra. It further highlights internal and external interventions by governmental and nongovernmental organizations that are expected to improve the livelihoods of the Gabra and other pastoralists inhabiting the area, but have sometimes had a negative effect on the traditional strategies of water governance and socio‐ecological systems, undermining the long‐term viability of the pastoral economy in Marsabit. This article is categorized under: Human Water > Water Governance Human Water > Value of Water Human Water > Rights to Water