Sitting 37km north of Marti is BARAGOI , in the heart of the barren Elbarta Plains, watered only occasionally by run-off from the Samburu Hills and Ndoto Mountains. The river which skirts the town is dry for much of the year, and in times of drought the pits which are dug into it by women fetching water can reach depths of over 6m. It's a blistering, dusty and unforgiving land, dotted here and there with sun-bleached bones and populated only by red-robed semi-nomadic herders armed with spears or bows and arrows to protect their cattle, goats and camels against the endemic rustlers ( ngorokos ).

 

First settled in the 1930s, Baragoi retains its original function as the region's major livestock market, attracting both Samburu and Turkana for whom the town also marks the invisible boundary between their respective grazing lands. Yet, things have changed a lot over the last few years. A construction boom has spawned dozens of one-storey cinder-block buildings in which half a dozen new hotels, numerous bars and restaurants have taken root. A clue to this sudden expansion lies in the name of a bar at the north end of the village - Bosnia Wines & Spirits . Shortly after the UN resolved to send peace-keepers to former Yugoslavia, a 900-strong Kenyan battalion was despatched to help patrol a ceasefire line around the self-proclaimed (now defunct) Serbian Republic of Krajina. News of the detachment spread quickly, particularly of the astronomical sums to be made serving in UNPROFOR (soldiers were paid up to $1200 a month, compared with the average Kenyan monthly wage of around $70). Samburu warriors from around Baragoi and Lesriken, 25km east, were quick to enlist for the second and third missions to Bosnia, the last of which returned in 1994.

The rewards were indeed beyond belief for the veterans, and for men who in the past had been expected to kill a lion in order to prove their manhood, the ferocity of the fighting left them unfazed. What did shock them, however, were the atrocities they witnessed, committed against ordinary civilians and now the subject of war crimes tribunals.

The Bosnian experience has not been without its problems. For some, sudden wealth has led to alcoholism as hard spirits have become affordable, and even cocaine abuse, and on arriving in Baragoi you'll be assailed by the usual band of desperate types, madmen and "guides" who missed out on their brothers' good fortunes. Unpleasant though the reception is, weather the storm (the locals will help you out of any serious trouble) and you'll find that Baragoi is a fascinating place, well worth a day or two of anyone's time