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. The market was pioneered by Somali settlers in the 1920s.It is the administrative headquarters of Samburu County. It’s not densely populated and is covered by swathes of desert climatic and desert conditions. It’s the home of the Maralal National Sanctuary which unfortunately is no longer operational.