Maralal an investor’s dream as good roads improve accessibility

Samburu Guest House, which is among the major developments in Samburu County. PHOTO | PAUL LETIWA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Ten kilometres of roads have been tarmacked. The town also boasts dozens of hotels and lodges.
  • Apart from the Samburu Guest House, a number of hotels are coming up.
  • The old Maralal Safari Lodge, which was closed a few months ago for renovation, will reopen soon.

From a small, dusty, inaccessible trading centre with only five shops and no social amenities to speak of as late as the early ’90s, Maralal Town has grown into a bustling metropolis.

Mr James Lenayara, who served as a clerk in the defunct Maralal County Council for 15 years, says thousands of acres of land in the capital of Samburu County were communally owned, and few people had any idea how to develop them.

But beyond this tourist town located about 380 km from Nairobi lie some of the Kenya’s most beautiful sceneries. The vast, arid plains give way to the spectacular Kirisia and Loroki hills, and it is this natural beauty that has been drawing investors to this remote town.

“When you look at Maralal Town and its surroundings, you see majestic scenery whose grandeur is enhanced by the wildlife and the calm dignity of the herdsmen. Many investors here realised this is a huge tourist attraction, so they invested their money in the hospitality industry,” says Mr Moses Lenolkulal, Samburu County Governor.

Mr Joe Mithamo, who chairs the Samburu County Investors’ Forum, says the biggest obstacle to the town’s growth has been insecurity and bad roads, as well as years of neglect by the national government.

“But despite the challenges, I think the county government has improved the town’s infrastructure; the Maralal of 1996 is very different from the Maralal of 2016,” he says.

Ten kilometres of roads have been tarmacked. The town also boasts dozens of hotels and lodges.

Mr Lasito Leleruk, the marketing manager of Samburu Guest House, says tourists — both local and foreign — have greatly influenced the growth of the hotel industry in the semi-arid area.

“Samburu Guest House started as a small hotel a few years ago, with about 10 rooms. But we realised that the number of guests kept increasing so we renovated the hotel. We now we have more than 100 rooms,” he says.

The hotel is the largest in the town that has become known for its annual International Camel Derby.

“During events such as the Camel Derby, all our rooms are booked even two weeks before the event,” adds Mr Leleruk.

Apart from the Samburu Guest House, a number of hotels are coming up. The old Maralal Safari Lodge, which was closed a few months ago for renovation, will reopen soon.

Ng’ari Eco Lodge, located about 4km from Maralal Town, has attracted a number of guests, including senior politicians holding conferences. meetings

“I came here in 1993 and at that time it was very hard to access Maralal Town, but things have improved. We now have a good number of guests coming here. They no longer complain about bad roads. Most of them actually love the adventure. We have a few challenges when it rains heavily but I think as time goes by, Maralal will open up and investors will invest more to improve the economy of Samburu County,” says Rudolf van Boogard, who owns the lodge.

Other hotels include the Sunbird Hotel, Ngurumaut, Yare Camel Camp, The Cheers Hotel, Seasons Hotel and the upcoming Lelendu Lodge, which is located on a small hill overlooking the Maralal-Nyahururu Highway, about six kilometres from Maralal town.

The Samburu County executive in charge of lands, Mrs Irene Senei, says that the privatisation of land has encouraged many investors to buy land and invest in the country.