Maralal is a small hillside

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in northern

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, lying east of the Loroghi Plateau within

Samburu County Samburu County is a counties of Kenya, county in the former Rift Valley Province, Kenya. It covers an area of roughly 21,000 km2 (8,000 mi2) in northern Kenya where the Samburu people, Samburu, Turkana people, Turkana and many other tr ...

, of which it is the capital. It is the administrative headquarters of

Samburu county Samburu County is a counties of Kenya, county in the former Rift Valley Province, Kenya. It covers an area of roughly 21,000 km2 (8,000 mi2) in northern Kenya where the Samburu people, Samburu, Turkana people, Turkana and many other tr ...

. The town has an urban population of 16,281 (1999 census). The

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, an ...

was pioneered by Somali settlers in the 1920s.

Main sights

Approximately 2 km southwest of the town are the remains of the

Maralal National Sanctuary Maralal is a small hillside market town in northern Kenya, lying east of the Loroghi Plateau within Samburu County, of which it is the capital. It is the administrative headquarters of Samburu county. The town has an urban population of 16,281 ( ...

. This nature site, closed by the Samburu County Government in September 2014, has now largely been absorbed into the town and the wildlife eradicated by poachers. Encroachment began from the south as villages expanded, so causing the natural wildlife corridors to be closed. Maralal is also home to Kenyatta House, where

Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...

was detained prior to his release. This rather unassuming modern house has a significant place in the history of modern Kenya. Until 2016, the town hosted the Maralal International Camel Derby, but this has ceased to function primarily due to the outcry by foreign tourists objecting to the abuse of the animals used. Tourist activities in Maralal have slowed and the town is mostly a base for adventurous travellers heading to Lake Turkana, some 12 hours travel by road to the north. Accommodation is cheap and lacking any sophistication, but improved roads heading to Maralal from the south should be completed by 2019, at which time tourism opportunities might improve. The closest airport is Kisima Airport, located in the nearby village of

Kisima Kisima is a small village in Samburu County in northwestern Kenya, southeast of the town of Maralal Maralal is a small hillside market town in northern Kenya, lying east of the Loroghi Plateau within Samburu County, of which it is the capital. I ...

Transport

The main road to Maralal starts from

Gilgil Gilgil, Kenya, is a town in Nakuru County, Kenya. The town is located between Naivasha and Nakuru and along the Nairobi - Nakuru highway. It is to the west of the Gilgil River, which flows south to feed Lake Naivasha. Gilgil has a population ...

and passes through

Nyahururu Nyahururu (formerly known as Thomson's Falls) is a town in Kenya, lying north east of Nakuru. The town derives its name from the Maasai people, Maasai word e-naiwurruwurr, meaning waterfall and/or windy or place of storms. It is located in Laikipia ...

and

Rumuruti Rumuruti is a town in Laikipia County in Kenya's former Rift Valley Province. It is approximately 40 kilometers due north from Nyahururu, on the Nyahururu-Maralal road ( A4). Despite being smaller than either Nanyuki or Nyahururu, which are on the ...

and ends in

Baragoi Baragoi is a market town in Kenya, lying north of Maralal and east of the Suguta Valley. It is located in Samburu County. The entire Baragoi division has a population of nearly 20,000 (1999 census) comprising mostly people from the Samburu and ...

. The entire stretch up to Maralal is tarmac, but is unpaved past that. The President of Kenya also launched work on the paved Naibor–

–Maralal road in July 2017.

References

Populated places in Samburu County County capitals in Kenya {{RiftValleyKE-geo-stub