 "B. procatopus" is sometimes believed to refer to the present species, but it is actually a junior synonym of the ripon barbel ("B. altianalis").This freshwater fish is found in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and southern Ethiopia.Its natural habitats are the Kerio, Suguta, Turkwel and northern Ewaso Ng'iro Rivers and their tributaries, as well as Lake Baringo, Bogoria and Turkana and their associated rivers.